11. Conflicting Discourses in Tourism Development

Kilpisjärvi is the northernmost village in western Finnish Lapland, located in the middle of the highest mountains of Finland. The region has been reindeer herding area of Sámi people for centuries but has also attracted skiers and hikers since 1930s. During the last few decades, tourism has increased strongly in the area, comprising now about 1,400 beds. We studied the discourses of tourism development and their underlying values by interviewing permanent dwellers and Norwegian cottage owners. Six different discourses were distinguished: (1) nature and scenery, (2) economy, (3) transformation as a place, (4) reindeer herding, (5) planning and administration, and (6) possibilities to influence decision-making. The first discourse stressed that tourism development and building should adapt to fragile nature, while economic discourse stressed tourism as the most important means of livelihood in the village. Contradictory values and identities of the place were expressed among the respondents, some seeing the beauty and close-knit community to be lost and others seeing the transformation positive. Reindeer herding contradicted tourism strongest, having both areal and cultural conflict. Governance was seen as an important tool in steering development, but many respondents considered that it was taking into account only economic aspects. Many villagers saw their influence in decision-making weak. We conclude that it is important to include the social implications and the diversity of local discourses in tourism development and land use planning. Transparent and genuine participatory planning would promote sustainability and allow decisions and development which would satisfy larger parts of local population than presently.