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Now they are saying tourism is the fastest growing industry in Sweden, well yes it
is, then why don’t you believe in the people who are willing to work in the
industry? Why not give them the same prerequisites to work? [...] the cabin isn’t
supposed to be worth less because it’s used for tourism or because it’s built on a
ground that you don’t own, it doesn’t make any difference, it’s not like the material
is less expensive depending on the definition of the ownership of the land, it’s
exactly the same, it’s just that I won’t get a loan from the state. That’s one sentence
that you need to change in the law that would change everything (Lorentz,
participant).
The tourist hosts describe their position as the worst place to practice tourism and totally
economically irrational. But since they want to continue living in the area, their hands are tied to the
system that they work within (Love, participant). Contributing to a changing community is about
learning to manage with change (Folke 2006). In order to tell something about how tourist hosts in
Gunnarsbyn understand sustainable development you need to understand why they are practicing tourism
the way they are doing today. According to the interviews, the tourist hosts practice tourism with the goal
of: (1) fulfilling the needs of their guests; (2) adding personal value to their work and; (3) following a
code of conduct of working in the nature inspired by their own ‘close to nature’ lifestyle.
The interviewees were asked to describe specific practices in their everyday work and why they do
them. Kurt resembles most of the interviewees when he says that in his work most of his time goes
to: (1) Prepare wood and make fireplaces in the cabins, sauna, bonfire and outdoor bath; (2) fill the
outdoor bath with water from the lake and; (3) prepare meals. Maria adds that the most important
attributes are that “Kurt has built those houses where the people are staying, the food is homemade
and locally produced and the guests are always pleased”. This way a unique place for the hosts
becomes a unique place for the guests. The joy of being able to provide this particular service in this
particular place is thus the main driver for the development of the practice.
The interviewees emphasized that their activities are designed “according to nature” (Tatiana,
participant). They feel obligated to meet ecological limitations while turning environmental goods
into social goods, and a cultural experience. Furthermore, engaging in dialog with guests about the
environment that they are currently sharing creates unproblematic awareness making, and can easily
encourage a more pro-environmental behavior of both actors.
These messages reach us all the time scaring us, the catastrophes and the sudden
weather changes, there must be a reason for all this. And if the explanation is that
we soon have used up all the resources on our planet and consumed unnecessarily
much, then that is horrible and we need to re- evaluate [...] that’s why I think it is
very important that the guests are with us in taking care of the place, and that they
understand why we have the rules we have. We tell them that there is a set of
thoughts behind everything, because we are concerned for the future of the lake
(Carina, participant).
Concerning adapting to sustainability challenges, all of the interviewees replied with concrete
examples of everyday practice. Love says that when organizing activities they always use local
materials and service, “so that we can support local knowledge and capacity available in local microeconomies”. He says that the supply that meets the needs of the company within the boundaries of
Work Creates Community