Arctic City as a Tourist Attraction: Highlights from the Working Meeting
On September 29–30, 2023, the Laboratory for Management in Culture and Tourism in collaboration with the Scientific Research Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research of Arctic Cities Life Quality at Murmansk Arctic University (MAU), hosted the second working meeting on the topic «Arctic City as a Tourist Attraction». The event was organized as part of the project «Development of Arctic Tourism and Creative Industries as Drivers for the Transformation of Arctic Cities and Territories» under the «Mirror Laboratories» program by the HSE University.
Day 1: September 29
Anastasia Polomarchuk and Anastasia Korman conducted a project seminar titled «Designing Products at the Crossroads of Creative Industries and Tourism». The session focused on developing unique tourism products rooted in the revealed distinct identity of Arctic cities. Students from the Department of Service and Tourism at MAU actively participated in the seminar. They were tasked with identifying and analyzing the factors, resources and elements that define Arctic tourism and lifestyle of people living in the Arctic region. Based on these insights, participants worked on creating innovative tourism products that reflect the cultural code of the Arctic region.
Day 2: September 30
The second day featured a working meeting on the outcomes of the project seminar and challenges in developing Arctic cities as tourist attractions. The event included expert presentations from the following speakers:
1. Prof. Irina Sizova (HSE University, St. Petersburg)
Presentation: Arctic City as a Tourist Attraction: Challenges and Solutions
2. Prof. Elena Tereshchenko (MAU, Murmansk)
Presentation: The Role of Traditional Culture in the Development of Cross-Border Tourism in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region
3. Prof. Tatyana Belevskikh (MAU, Murmansk)
Presentation: Sponsor-Supported Plein Air Session as a Basis for Creating Tourism Merchandise
4. Prof. Zoya Zhelnina (MAU, Murmansk)
Presentation: Creative Mobility: Circulation of Knowledge and Ideas
5. Anastasia Polomarchuk, Anastasia Korman (HSE University, St. Petersburg)
Presentation: Results of the Project Seminar: Designing Products at the Crossroads of Creative Industries and Tourism
The presentations sparked discussions on current issues in creating collaborative tourism products (business, creative industries and tour operators) and integrating Arctic cities locations and opportunities. The key takeaways from the meeting for the development of Arctic cities as tourist destinations include:
1) development of diverse urban infrastructure (leisure and recreational spaces, digitalization of the processes);
2) ensuring affordability;
3) promoting advance awareness both within the region and beyond;
4) developing craft tourism through the DIY principle;
5) fostering event regularity;
6) adopting a differentiated approach to collaboration between creative industries and tourism.
Therefore, in order to transform Arctic cities into thriving tourist destinations, at least achieving the above goals is essential. However, this vision is unlikely to materialize without close collaboration between government authorities, business and creative industries. Strong partnerships among these three stakeholders in tourism development and joint product creation can yield highly effective results.
On September 30, 2023, project team members participated in the opening of an art exhibition «Arctic City».