Tourism Employment in Nordic Countries
Viewed through a politico-economic lens, Nordic countries share what is often referred to as the ‘Nordic model’, characterised by a comprehensive welfare state; higher spending on childcare; more equitable income distribution; and lifelong-learning policies. This edited collection considers these contexts to explore the complex nature of tourism employment, thereby providing insights into the dynamic nature, characteristics, and meaning of work in tourism. Contributors combine explorations of the impact of policy on tourism employment with a more traditional human resources management approach focusing on employment issues from an organizational perspective, such as job satisfaction, training, and retention. The text points to opportunities as well as challenges relating to issues such as the notion of ‘decent work’, the role and contribution of migrant workers, and more broadly, the varying policy objectives embedded within the Nordic welfare model. Offering a detailed, multi-faceted analysis of tourism employment, this book is a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners interested in tourism employment in the region.
Andreas Walmsley is Associate Professor with the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship at Coventry University, UK. He is also Affiliate Researcher at the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre, where he helped establish and currently co-leads Tourism Workforce, a research group that focuses on tourism employment in Nordic countries.
Kajsa Åberg is a tourism strategist for the regional development organization in Vasterbotten County, northern Sweden. She has a background as tourism entrepreneur and human geographer with a doctoral thesis entailing studies on the tourism workforce in the Nordic context.
Petra Blinnikka is a senior lecturer in tourism and services management at JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Finland. She has worked within tourism development and education for 17 years. She is a founder and coordinator of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, ICRT, Finland.
Gunnar Thór Jóhannesson is Professor at the Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Iceland. He is a founding member of AIRTH – Alliance for Innovators and Researchers in Tourism and Hospitality and vice-lead of the UArctic Thematic Network on Northern Tourism.
