Educated in friluftsliv – working in tourism

ABSTRACT

The present study explores how nature guides with an educational background in both friluftsliv and tourism work to enhance experiences and learning in an adventure tourism setting. A nature guide’s methods and working patterns emerge from the intersection of practices of friluftsliv and tourism, with a valued base of eco-philosophy and Scandinavian friluftsliv. Nature guides work professionally within nature, and the basic competence of such guides is proficiency and responsible leadership related to safe travel and exploring nature with groups of people. In addition, professional nature guides are expected to have a broad understanding of how to turn the participants’ experiences into learning and a closer relationship with nature. In the present study, we investigated how four groups of nature guides used friluftsliv methods in practice. We interviewed the guides after they had conducted a 6-day ski expedition with participants on the Svalbard glaciers. Our findings indicate that an approach to guiding influenced by friluftsliv can add value by enhancing participants’ experiences and adding more learning to the experience. The learning relates to both skills and techniques necessary for living and skiing in unfamiliar nature and connecting the participants more closely with nature

KEYWORDS:

• Eco-tourism
• friluftsliv
• nature guide
• experiences
• learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.