Coping with seasonality – caused by climatic and socio-institutional factors – has been one of the most public issues in the tourism academy and industry. In managerial discourse, seasonality is commonly seen as a major problem – a problem that can be solved by collaborative managerial strategies. What if instead of aiming to reduce the influence of seasons, the Arctic seasons were seen in the light of the novelty and freshness they offer?
This panel aims to discuss the problems related to seasonality – such as year-around employment and overcrowding during the high season – in light of the changing demands and expectations related to climate change, responsible travel and balanced growth of tourism industry.

Expert panelists
Kristian Sievers, Project manager, Regional Council of Lapland, Year-around tourism
Gunnar Þór Jóhannesson, Professor, University of Iceland, Employment
Mary Tulle, CEO, Destination Cape Breton, Seasonality in Cape Breton, Canada
Kaarina Tervo-Kankare, Senior Lecturer, University of Oulu, Climate change
Antti Antikainen, Sales Director, Safartica, Seasonality in Rovaniemi, Lapland

The panel and a related workshop are part of the joint Master´s Degree studies on Northern Tourism hosted by the thematic network. 

Contact: Outi Rantala, Associate professor / Tourism Research, University of Lapland