Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Editors: Bill Bramwell (Sheffield Hallam University) and Bernard Lane (Visiting Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University)
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Volume: 9 Number: 5 Page: 417–433
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The Public Right of Access – Some Challenges to Sustainable Tourism Development in Scandinavia
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Bjørn P. Kaltenborn, Hanne Haaland and Klas Sandell
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Scandinavian countries are widely associated with an attractive natural environment. A long history of settlement, and use of wildland resources and relatively sparse populations have led to distinct land-use
practices and access traditions. Scandinavia has developed a strong public access regime, partly founded in legal constructs, that grant extensive freedom of movement to the general public even on private
property. The right of public access is founded in the Scandinavian tradition of outdoor recreation ('friluftsliv'). For centuries outdoor recreation practices and public access have only experienced moderate
pressure and the historic relationships Scandinavians have with nature can be interpreted in the light of different environmental strategies. However, Scandinavia is also part of a global nature-tourism
context and subject to the rapid changes the way in which society looks at and uses nature. Changing public values, changes in use patterns, increasing diversity of users and a tendency to commodify nature
experiences bring challenges to environmental management and the tourism industry alike. In this paper we discuss how the past is linked to future challenges related to public access. We also discuss how
environmental authorities and the tourism industry need to think about some of these issues in order to develop sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation strategies.
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