Tourism as a livelihood diversification strategy among Sámi indigenous people in northern Sweden

Traian C Leu

doi:10.1080/08003831.2019.1603009

Abstract

ABSTRACTTourism entrepreneurship is frequently promoted as a livelihood strategy for Sámi indigenous people living in northern Sweden. At the same time, tourism’s ability to fully take over struggling primary sectors has been brought into question, due perhaps to a mismatch of skills or to tourism’s seasonality and low pay. In spite of that, the role of tourism development might relate less to financial autonomy but could best be characterized as being supplementary and complementary to other occupations. Additionally, the motivations behind tourism involvement among Sámi tourist entrepreneurs remain largely unknown. This interview-based study therefore aims to uncover why Sámi indigenous tourist entrepreneurs living in northern Sweden get involved in tourism and to what extent tourism is part of a livelihood diversification strategy. The findings show that a combination of factors such as lifestyle choices, existing touristic demand and readily available forms of capital lead people to become tourist entrepreneurs. At the same time, for some respondents, tourism is part of a livelihood diversification strategy where its development is not sought for replacing a struggling traditional occupation, namely reindeer herding, but for complementing it.

Highlights

Tourism entrepreneurship is frequently promoted as a livelihood strategy for indigenous peoples living in areas with limited other economic opportunities (Notzke 1999; Karlsdottir et al 2017)
Even though this study focuses on Sámi tourist entrepreneurs in general and not just reindeer herders, evidence emerges showing the complicated ties between reindeer herding as an occupation and reindeer herding as an identity, adding important nuances to the understanding of reindeer herding as one’s life (Nordin 2007)
Tourism entrepreneurship is often promoted as a livelihood strategy for Sámi indigenous people living in northern Sweden

Summary

Introduction

Tourism entrepreneurship is frequently promoted as a livelihood strategy for indigenous peoples living in areas with limited other economic opportunities (Notzke 1999; Karlsdottir et al 2017). Given the tourism industry’s success at creating employment opportunities in other parts of the world (Jenkins, Hall, and Troughton 1998), it is expected to be a way to move forward by curbing outmigration of young people and helping maintain services to the otherwise struggling sparsely populated areas in northern Sweden as well. Unexplored is the industry’s role in relieving employment gaps resulting from declines in other primary sectors

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Conclusion