Primary Economic Impacts at Three Spatial Levels: The Case of Fulufjället National Park, Sweden

Abstract

The changing nature of Swedish national parks from a primarily resource protection emphasis to a more multiple use philosophy, including tourism, requires new ways of looking at park-related planning and development. Tourism must not be considered in a vacuum spatially but from a broad regional perspective as its economic impact is greater than just that which occurs in or adjacent to a park. The aim of this study was to analyze primary economic impacts (expenditures) at three different spatial levels (in the park, the gateway communities, and the region outside these gateway communities) associated with tourism to Fulufjället National Park in Sweden. Results show that park visitors do have significant economic expenditures beyond the national park and nearby gateway communities. The probability of expenditures, and the magnitude of those expenditures, increases with a wider geographical scale of analysis. These observations illustrate the importance of examining national park tourism from a wider spatial perspective and to ensure a diversity of opportunities are available outside the park that will complement the activities inside the park.