Sustainable destination development

About the project

The graduate project in Sustainable Destination Development is focused on investigating how the development of a destination can contribute to increased sustainable development. The project will deviate from previous research by widening the scope of tourism development to increase the understanding of how the development of this sector can strengthen the sustainability of regions as a whole. The project will examine three areas of Sustainable Destination Development; tourism, cultural heritage, entrepreneurship. We will explore how these areas are designed, negotiated and practiced and how they work towards a more sustainable future within and outside of the tourism industry.

Marije Poort

The aim of my PhD research is to understand how innovation can foster sustainable destination development on Gotland, by rethinking the understanding of innovation and simultaneously fostering it. I do this by placing my research in current narratives on regeneration and degrowth. I take on a transdisciplinary approach, which I translate into practice by setting up a co-creation Lab. My goal is to (re-)create concepts and theory and to develop sustainable innovations which can be practically implemented by tourism actors on Gotland.

Supervisors

• Ulrika Persson-Fischier, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering
• Patrik Rönnbäck, Department of Earth Sciences

Fie Broker-Bulling

The focus of my Ph.D. studies will be on the opportunities and challenges related to allemansrätten and the development of nature-based tourism in Sweden. This project aims to understand how destinations can strengthen sustainability by exploring their cultural connections to nature, and how these connections impact the sustainable development and management of nature-based tourism in an increasingly globalized world. My research will be conducted using a strong sustainability perspective and will utilize benchmarking to gain a deeper understanding of public access rights within and outside of the EU. This insight will then be used to help local actors understand how to strengthen the sustainability of their destination through the sustainable development of nature-based tourism.

About me

My name is Fie and I am from Denmark and the USA. Before starting my Ph.D., I completed an M.Sc. in Sustainable Destination Development at Uppsala University and a B.A. in Recreation Management and Leadership at Western Washington University. Outside of academia, I have worked as a nature-based tourism guide for trekking, kayaking, biking, and skiing companies and volunteered for numerous youth outdoor education programs. Recreation, outdoor education, and nature-based tourism have played a very important role in my life, both inside and outside of academia, and I am very excited to continue exploring a topic that is so dear to my heart!

Supervisors

• Patrik Rönnbäck, Department of Earth Sciences
• Wiebren Boonstra, Department of Earth Sciences
• Brian Danley, Department of Earth Sciences
• Ulrika Persson-Fischier, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering

Gurbet Peker

My PhD project focuses on how sustainability is narrated and practiced in the everyday life on the Gotlandic countryside. The project touches on the interplay between tourism, cultural heritage and islandness.

My research interests also include human-nonhuman relationships, identity and belonging, urban and rural relationships, migration and materiality.

About me

My name is Gurbet Peker and I´m a PhD candidate in Ethnology, Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology and one of three PhD candidates within the Sustainable Destination Development project.

Supervisors

• Camilla Asplund Ingemark, Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
• Owe Ronström, Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
• Brian Danley, Department of Earth Sciences