Incorporating the Swedish tourism sector in crisis management and communication : – methods and strategies for preparedness and collaboration in rural areas

• The Swedish tourism sector is constantly growing, with new trends as ”vacation at home” and increasing numbers of international tourists visiting the Swedish nature. Investments in nature tourism and the right of access to private land have added to many international tourists in the Swedish countryside. Nature tourism is in many ways unique, meaning that visitors are not part of an organized activity. This coincides with increased societal risks and vulnerabilities owing to a changed climate, like large forest fires or extreme weather (storms, rain, flooding, heat etc.). What will happen when a risk event occur in the countryside? How prepared is the society, and how prepared are the visitors?The conditions for crisis communication is changing with social media, apps and digitalization of information. This can increase the possibility to reach nature tourists in the countryside, who are not reached by domestic information/news updates (TV and radio). Crisis management and communication is an established field in tourism research. However, obstacles and possibilities for digitalization in the tourism sector in relation to the specific conditions of nature-based tourism needs more attention.The aim of this study is to generate new knowledge and methods for incorporating the Swedish countryside tourism sector in crisis management and communication. Crisis management and risk preparedness and awareness, and collaborations and relations between the tourism sector and other crisis management actors (municipalities and public authorities) are in focus, as well as the nature tourists themselves.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Social och ekonomisk geografi -- Kulturgeografi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Social and Economic Geography -- Human Geography (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Klimatforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Climate Research (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Nature tourism

crisis management

crisis communication

digitalization

climate change

extreme weather

Kulturgeografi

Human Geography

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)