Understanding the visitor – a prerequisite for coastal zone planning

Abstract:

Planning for tourism and outdoor recreation in Swedish coastal areas could be improved with knowledge of visitors’ attitudes, experiences, activities and geographical dispersion. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the knowledge of visitors in planning for tourism and outdoor recreation. The Luleå archipelago in Northern Sweden is used as a case study. Supervisors: Professor Lars Emmelin, Blekinge Institute of Technology/ETOUR Dr Peter Fredman, ETOUR. The Department of Spatial Planning, BTH deals with research on planning processes, environmental impact assessment, social issues, gender issues and applied information technology in spatial planning. The European Tourism Research Institute, ETOUR, Mid Sweden University, develops knowledge and expertise within issues related to travel and tourism. There are three main objectives: to conduct research on tourism-related issues, to analyse statistics on tourism and to make the research results accessible to the tourism industry. The research aims to develop the tourism industry and the institute is a resource for businesses, organisations and authorities. This project has been financed by the AGORA Interreg III-project Network Sustainable Tourism Development in the Baltic Sea Region, the Blekinge County Administration Board, the Mid Sweden University in Östersund, the European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR), and The Swedish Tourist Authority.