Managing Svalbard Tourism: Inconsistencies and Conflicts of Interest

The Svalbard Archipelago has experienced a rapid increase in tourism-related activities over the
past few decades. The Norwegian Government’s ambition to develop the Archipelago’s tourism
industry offers multiple socio-economic opportunities. The development and scope of these
tourism activities are affected by a complex governance system that entails strict environmental
regulation and preparedness considerations. To understand the balance of goals across the national
and international policy levels, we have mapped, reviewed, and analyzed the national and international
regulations and agreements that affect tourism activities in Svalbard. The document
analysis reveals the framework of natural and environmental consideration, access to areas and
passage, requirements for organized outdoor activities, and regulatory tools. We discovered conflicts
and internal inconsistencies in the way that Svalbard tourism has developed. It has been
shaped by both economic growth and environmental preservation, without any specific business
development objectives and goals or acceptable limits of environmental and social change in place.
For tourism stakeholders, this might complicate any rational assessment of the balance between
economic development and environmental status. The challenges we have identified are specific to
Svalbard, but are likely to be similar in many other Arctic locations involved in tourism.