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Abstract |
Nature-based tourism (NBT) has for decades been a major resource for value creation and local development in rural districts in Norway. However, in recent years some areas have experienced an increasing pressure from the tourism industry, both in fjord- and coastal and mountain regions (Stokke et al. 2017). A more fine-tuned and sensitive attitude to attractions related to wildlife, quietness, and local stories and storytelling is emerging, and has a substantial potential for integrating NBT and local community development.In a long-term perspective, it is essential for municipalities and local communities to balance the influx of tourists and the capacity to welcome them. To inform planning and development processes, it is therefore important to understand the tangible and intangible place-based values and resources attached to minor rural communities.In the present global situation represented by the pandemic lock down, climate and bio-diversity crises, there is a growing awareness in local and regional governments, that tourism in general, and nature-based tourism specifically, also should be a partner in developing place-based and sustainable transition-processes (Clemetsen et al 2021).This might involve a broad variety of actors, from local residents – young and older, small scale entrepreneurs, farmers, schools, municipal administrators, etc. Thus, in the process of developing strategies for an unknown and uncertain future, there is a need to apply appropriate process tools that may foster development of shared visions, strategies and measures that support sustainable development. The complexity in the process of understanding place, place-based values, and their potential for future value creation, demand methods that commits the participants beyond what is required in ordinary local planning processes. To pursue this ambition, it is necessary to create arenas for negotiation of interests, and for developing strategies for social and economic initiatives involving the local community, the municipality, and other stakeholders.On the background of a participatory workshop conducted in the BIOTOUR[1] case area in Trysil municipality in 2019, we will discuss possible methods and tools that can provide arenas for dialogue processes, supporting nature-based tourism development and social viability within the local community. |
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