Local participation in the evolution of ski resorts: the case of Ylläs and Levi in Finnish Lapland

Socially sustainable tourism requires that the local people living in the vicinity of tourist destinations should be involved in local tourism planning. However, the realisation of this ideal evokes many questions. Tourism growth often seems to happen on its own terms, and it is inevitably nonlocal as customers’ expectations and life-styles are of great importance. In this article, we ask what is the role of the local community in the evolution of tourist destinations and how do the locals see their possibilities to influence tourism development? These issues are examined through focus group interviews in three villages situated adjoining tourist destinations in Finnish Lapland. The interviews revealed that from the local point of view there have been different stages of development of participatory processes that can be analysed applying Richard Butler’s tourism area life cycle theory. The increasing number of tourists seems to increase also the level of concern among local people regarding environmental and cultural issues. Changes in planning paradigms, legislation, and also in public attitudes increase the hopes of the locals that their voice will be better heard in future planning processes.