"The social impact of domestic tourism at Destination Vesterhavet - A case study in social sustainable development in the coastal city of Hvide Sande": “The social impact of domestic tourism at Destination Vesterhavet - A case study in social sustainable development in the coastal city of Hvide Sande”

Hyldgaard, Kasper Franck

4. term

Tourism, Master

2021

2021-05-31

64 pages

Abstract Danish tourism has suffered a major setback due to the COVID pandemic, and the domestic destinations have through 2020 been left for the danes alone to visit. One of the most visited regions in Denmark is destination west Jutland. With its amazing coastline, beaches, quiet and idyllic surroundings and local authentic culinary experiences, west Denmark has been a well visited region, and has for many years attracted especially the Germans during holiday. Coastal tourism is one of the most important ways of leisure and entertainment in the world, which brings impact in varying degrees to the tourism destination. These effects relate to economic, social, and environmental aspects and due to the concept of sustainability being widely used, sustainable tourism has received more attention. Looking into the literature, most studies focus on the tourism impact from the economic and environmental aspect, while the social aspects have been left a little behind and are yet to be fully explored. COVID-19 has caused major changes to the tourists mobility and has given the optimum opportunity to investigate the changes in the social dynamics in destination Vesterhavet. This thesis centers around the social impact of the danish, domestic tourists visiting the destination now more than ever, as the world started its unexpected change from a versatile status to an almost stationary one. In that matter, a framework was developed and intended to envelop such a change, so pertinent theories and perspectives from already existing literature could be included to help design a research question, guide the selection of relevant data, interpret the data, and propose explanations of the underlying causes or influences of observed phenomena. In the context of a post pandemic time, the thesis has shown the respondents' desire for the return of the original tourists in a time where domestic tourism is in the spotlight and well-branded by the overall tourism actor Visitdenmark (Visit denmark, website ). The thesis will focus on combining the findings with theoretical grounds that show what domestic tourism in Destination Vesterhavet provides both opportunities and threats.

Abstract Danish tourism has suffered a major setback due to the COVID pandemic, and the domestic destinations have through 2020 been left for the danes alone to visit. One of the most visited regions in Denmark is destination west Jutland. With its amazing coastline, beaches, quiet and idyllic surroundings and local authentic culinary experiences, west Denmark has been a well visited region, and has for many years attracted especially the Germans during holiday. Coastal tourism is one of the most important ways of leisure and entertainment in the world, which brings impact in varying degrees to the tourism destination. These effects relate to economic, social, and environmental aspects and due to the concept of sustainability being widely used, sustainable tourism has received more attention. Looking into the literature, most studies focus on the tourism impact from the economic and environmental aspect, while the social aspects have been left a little behind and are yet to be fully explored. COVID-19 has caused major changes to the tourists mobility and has given the optimum opportunity to investigate the changes in the social dynamics in destination Vesterhavet. This thesis centers around the social impact of the danish, domestic tourists visiting the destination now more than ever, as the world started its unexpected change from a versatile status to an almost stationary one. In that matter, a framework was developed and intended to envelop such a change, so pertinent theories and perspectives from already existing literature could be included to help design a research question, guide the selection of relevant data, interpret the data, and propose explanations of the underlying causes or influences of observed phenomena. In the context of a post pandemic time, the thesis has shown the respondents' desire for the return of the original tourists in a time where domestic tourism is in the spotlight and well-branded by the overall tourism actor Visitdenmark (Visit denmark, website ). The thesis will focus on combining the findings with theoretical grounds that show what domestic tourism in Destination Vesterhavet provides both opportunities and threats.

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