Representations and National Marketing: the Case of Indigenous Peoples in Nordic and Russian DMOs’ webpages

Kuvaus

In the overly connected world we currently live in, representations have become increasingly relevant. Tourism destinations are constantly competing in the global tourism market through the use of the visual images and texts in order to attract visitors. Through this process, indigenous populations have become part of a destination’s attraction power whilst rarely being involved in the production of these marketing materials. National DMOs are an important source of information for the tourists that are planning to, or who find themselves in a foreign country, or even in their home country. Since national DMOs act as an
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important source in the provision of a country’s image to the outside world, DMOs’ marketing can be considered as very influential to both tourists and citizens, while at the same time it is representative of the general political positioning of the country.
Using discourse analysis, this paper analyses how national DMOs in the three Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway and in Russia use indigenous Sámi culture in tourism marketing. The information analyzed comes from the regions and/or sections in which indigenous populations can be found. The results show overlapping but also contrasting use of certain images and expressions to promote areas inhabited by Sámi populations. The research illustrates how the presence of indigenous populations is utilized in national tourism marketing and suggested recommendations are for a more balanced presentation of indigenous cultural heritage and everyday practices.

Aikajakso	6 lokak. 2017
Pidetty	Dalarna University, Ruotsi