Rethinking the Destination Image Formation of the Lofoten Islands in order to Eliminate the Seasonality

Mandrik, Gabriella

4. term

Tourism, Master

2017

2017-11-14

71

This thesis examines how the Lofoten Islands’ destination image is projected by the local destination management organization (Destination Lofoten) and how reshaping that image could help mitigate seasonality and summer crowding. Framed by Lofoten’s branding as Norway’s untamed islands and recent media reports of pressure on infrastructure and nature, the research asks whether and how an adjusted image can encourage a more even temporal and spatial distribution of demand. The study adopts an exploratory, qualitative discourse analysis of textual and visual online content drawn from Destination Lofoten’s website and social media, local tour operators’ websites, and user-generated travel blogs to compare the DMO’s projected image with visitors’ narratives. Grounded in theories of adventure tourism, destination image formation, and storytelling, it discusses ways to emphasize Lofoten’s unique characteristics to support a more sustainable, quality-oriented profile. Specific empirical findings are not reported in the provided excerpt.

Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan destinationens image for Lofoten projiceres af den lokale destinationsorganisation (Destination Lofoten), og hvordan en omformning af dette image kan bruges til at afbøde sæsonudsving og sommerens overbelastning. Med afsæt i Lofotens markedsføring som Norges utæmmede øer og nylige medierapporter om pres på infrastruktur og natur, formuleres forskningsspørgsmålet som et opgør med, om og hvordan et justeret image kan fordele efterspørgslen mere jævnt over året og geografisk. Studiet anvender en eksplorativ, kvalitativ diskursanalyse af tekstligt og visuelt onlineindhold fra Destination Lofotens hjemmeside og sociale medier, lokale turudbyderes hjemmesider samt brugergenererede rejseblogs for at sammenholde det projicerede image med besøgendes fortællinger. Arbejdet er forankret i teori om adventureturisme, destinationsimage(dannelse) og storytelling og diskuterer, hvordan Lofotens særlige kendetegn kan fremhæves for at støtte en mere bæredygtig, kvalitetsorienteret profil. Konkrete resultater eller konklusioner præsenteres ikke i det tilgængelige uddrag.

[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]

adventure tourism ; destination image ; seasonality ; arctic tourism ; Lofoten Islands

Download PDF
View record in AAU Student Projects

Mandrik, Gabriella:

• The critical review of the adventure tourism literature between the 1990s-2010s (2017)
• The world first crowdsourced hotel: the Amberlair (2016)