New report: Indigenous tourism in the European Arctic - Reclaiming pasts and strengthening futures
The new TemaNord report analyses good practices, new approaches, opportunities and challenges for Indigenous tourism in the European Arctic. It states that sustainable tourism is about creating space for Indigenous cultures to thrive on their own terms.
The report identifies four interconnected pillars that are central to fostering and strengthening Indigenous tourism. The pillars are: the relation of Indigenous tourism to place and land, storytelling as a vital part of decolonisation, certifications and trademarks as tools for self-determination and business development, and collaboration and community inclusion as necessary steps to move forward.
Moreover, the report discusses the potential to connect tourism with crafts, art and design. It supports destination management organizations and entrepreneurs in developing sustainable business solutions and assists policymakers in enabling Indigenous tourism futures to flourish in the Arctic.
The report summarises the main topics and the conclusions of the European Indigenous Tourism Conference EITC 2025 held in Inari, Finland in May 2025. EITC 2025 was the first-ever Indigenous tourism conference in Europe. It was jointly organised by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance, the Sámi Parliament in Finland and the University of Lapland.
The report was co-created with Indigenous tourism actors in the project Sustainable Indigenous Tourism in the Nordic Arctic. The project strengthened cross-Arctic collaborative knowledge co-creation, capacity building and sustainable Indigenous tourism development through networking and co-operation. It was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Cooperation Programme.
Permanent address of the electronic publication: https://www.norden.org/en/publication/indigenous-tourism-european-arctic