Tourism development: sustainable how, why and for whom? -An analysis of tourism development in Greenland and how sustainability is articulated with reference to national identity
Author
Lynge, Liv Inuk Oldenburg
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-28
Pages
69
Abstract
Arktis og særligt Grønland får fornyet opmærksomhed i lyset af klimaforandringer og forventninger om adgang til naturressourcer, hvilket også driver væksten i turisme og en udbredt brug af begrebet bæredygtighed. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan turismeudvikling i Grønland fremstilles som et politisk problem, hvordan bæredygtighed artikuleres som løsning, og for hvem og hvad der i praksis skal bæres videre, set i relation til national identitet. Studiet bygger på en kvalitativ dokumentanalyse af tre grønlandske turismepolitikker og anvender Bacchi & Goodwins WPR-tilgang til problemrepræsentationer sammen med Nation Branding-teori, inspireret af spørgsmålet “hvad skal bevares, og for hvem”. Analysen identificerer tre dominerende problemrepræsentationer: tidligere fokus på “forkerte” turismesegmenter, utilstrækkelige rammer og infrastruktur samt manglende synlighed og udpræget sæsonafhængighed. Den viser desuden, at det, der søges “beværet”, primært er billedet af en indfødt nation, turismeerhvervet og økonomien samt den overordnede politiske dagsorden om øget selvstændighed. Bæredygtighed fremstår dermed i høj grad som et strategisk element i branding af en national identitet, snarere end et mål om miljømæssig bæredygtighed i sig selv. Afhandlingen peger på tydelige spændinger mellem bæredygtighedsretorik og praksis og rejser spørgsmålet, om de ønskede mål kan være reelt bæredygtige under disse modsigelser. Den anbefaler, at det grønlandske turismelandskab tager et tydeligt ansvar og investerer i bæredygtighed lokalt og globalt, i stedet for at skubbe ansvaret over på den enkelte turist eller fremtiden, for at undgå tilbageslag fra et konfliktfyldt nation brand.
Amid renewed global attention to the Arctic and Greenland due to climate change and anticipated access to natural resources, tourism is expanding and the language of sustainability has become prominent. This thesis examines how tourism development in Greenland is represented as a policy problem, how sustainability is articulated as a solution, and what and for whom is to be sustained in relation to national identity. It is based on a qualitative document analysis of three Greenlandic tourism policies, using Bacchi and Goodwin’s WPR approach to problem representations alongside Nation Branding theory, guided by the question “what is to be sustained, and for whom.” The analysis identifies three main problem representations: a past focus on the “wrong” tourist segments, inadequate conditions and infrastructure, and insufficient visibility paired with strong seasonality. It further finds that what is framed as being sustained is chiefly the image of an indigenous nation, the tourism industry and economy, and the broader political project of greater independence. As such, sustainability is largely expressed as a strategic component of branding a national identity rather than an end in environmental sustainability itself. The thesis highlights clear tensions between sustainability rhetoric and practice and questions whether these aims can be genuinely sustainable amid such contradictions. It recommends that Greenland’s tourism actors assume responsibility and invest in sustainability at both local and global levels, rather than shifting the burden to individual tourists or postponing action, to avoid backlash from a conflicted nation brand.
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Keywords
wpr ; tourism ; development ; greenland
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