Nipissing University Project Builds Capacity for Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism Across the Circumpolar North

Dr. Patrick Maher, Professor of Physical and Health Education at Nipissing University, has led a two-year collaborative initiative aimed at strengthening Northern and Indigenous participation in the Arctic tourism sector through the Thematic Network on Northern Tourism of which he has been the lead since 2012. Project partners include the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon, Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, Yukon University, Vancouver Island University, University of Lapland, Umeå University, University of Oulu, University of Iceland, and UiT – the Arctic University of Norway.

Supported by the UArctic Indigenous and Northern Collaborative Research and Education Engagement Fund, Developing a Sustainable Tourism Workforce for the North, is the latest in an ongoing series of projects funded under the UArctic Thematic Network on Northern Tourism. The initiative has engaged students, faculty, industry representatives, and community stakeholders to address workforce challenges in Arctic tourism, including labour precarity, seasonal employment, and reliance on temporary foreign workers.

Launched in May 2024, the initiative works alongside a 3-year (2025-2027) project funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, titled: Tourism Employment in the Arctic: Towards Decent Work. Both aim to support the tourism sector through education, collaboration, and capacity building. Mobility support is also provided by NordPlus (a student and faculty mobility program in the Nordic countries). Over the course of the project, six Canadian students, alongside another 50 students from other circumpolar countries, have attended two working symposiums in 2024 and 2025. Hosted in Pyhä, Finland, and Laugarvatn, Iceland, these events provide opportunities for knowledge exchange and dialogue among educators, students, and community and industry partners from across the Circumpolar North.

“This project allows us to connect Northern students and communities directly with research, policy discussions, and industry stakeholders, ensuring that local voices are central to the conversation on sustainable tourism,” Dr. Maher explained.

Master’s students were selected with their futures in leadership roles within tourism and sustainability in mind. The students engage in policy analysis, field research, and collaborative writing and workshops, preparing them to influence ongoing tourism development in Northern communities.

A central feature of the project is its emphasis on community and industry involvement. Partners include many tourism industry professionals, local Indigenous entrepreneurs, and educators from Northern institutions. These collaborations provide a comprehensive understanding of the tourism ecosystem, integrating grassroots experiences with policy perspectives and building upon the research and outcomes from previous initiatives under the same UArctic Thematic Network for Northern Tourism.

During field visits, students meet with tourism boards, small business operators, unions, and industry associations to explore challenges and opportunities across the region. These interactions expose students to the differing realities of Northern tourism, including a narrow window of seasonal work, labour shortages, and the reliance on temporary foreign workers. According to Dr. Maher, direct engagement with communities and industry leaders allows students and researchers to better understand the complexities of seasonal work and workforce development in Northern tourism.

The project highlights the value of cross-regional learning. Challenges observed in one Northern jurisdiction often resonate in others, despite differences in geography, infrastructure, and climate. For example, from the 2018 symposium, the group learned that Finnish Lapland, primarily a winter tourism destination, shares similar workforce and operational challenges with Canadian summer destinations such as Cape Breton Island or the Yukon. An array of factors leads to precarity of employment, including a limited tourism season, sometimes as short as three months of the year.

“Over the last 10 years, we found that despite differences in seasonality, the challenges and opportunities were almost identical. It really underscores how Northern tourism problems are shared across the Circumpolar North,” says Dr. Maher.

The project also considers lifestyle choices in tourism work. Northern tourism operators, including Indigenous entrepreneurs, often value downtime and seasonal breaks, balancing economic needs with lifestyle priorities. This informs discussions on sustainable tourism development, including strategies to make tourism more equitable and attractive to local populations.

Students are central to the initiative, contributing to workshops, symposium discussions, and policy-focused assignments, including policy briefs and posters aimed at informing tourism development strategies.

“The students gain insight not only into the academic literature, but also into community priorities and industry realities, giving them a well-rounded understanding of Northern tourism challenges,” Dr. Maher explained.

This combination of academic and practical learning fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, preparing students to assume leadership roles in sustainable tourism across the North.

In the long term, Developing a Sustainable Tourism Workforce for the North aims to create a more equitable and sustainable tourism workforce, where research, education, and community perspectives intersect to inform meaningful change. Project outcomes will be shared with policymakers, educators, and industry partners, supporting Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework goals on sustainable tourism, youth engagement, and Northern economic development.