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Coastal communities are among the most rapidly changing, institutionally complex, and culturally diverse in the world, and they are among the most vulnerable to anthropogenic change. While being a driver of anthropogenic change, tourism can also provide socio-economic alternatives to declining natural resource-based livelihoods for coastal residents. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of small-scale cruise tourism on coastal community resiliency in Petersburg, Alaska. Exploring these impacts through resiliency theory’s lens of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, we employed ethnographic research methods that emphasize emic viewpoints to determine how residents see this form of tourism affecting the resiliency of valued community culture, institutions, and traditional livelihoods. Findings indicate that with purposeful engagement in niche cruise tourism involving boats with 250 passengers or less, and an active rejection of the large cruise ship industry, Petersburg exhibits increased adaptive capacity to promote the resilience of valued community institutions and heritage. This work draws needed recognition to the diversity of activities that fall under the label of cruise tourism, including the distinct implications of smaller-scale, niche cruise tourism for the resilience of coastal communities. It also highlights the need to capture emic perspectives to understand the politics of community resiliency.
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Interviews on Impacts of the Arctic Cruise Tourism Industry on Nature, Commerce, and Culture in Northern Communities (2021–2025)
A data set was produced under this award and submitted for publication at the Arctic Data Center (2026): Title: Interviews on Impacts of the Arctic Cruise Tourism Industry on Nature, Commerce, and Culture in Northern Communities (2021–2025). doi: pending.temporary identifier: urn:uuid:a65f9b84-6113-4799-b12b-4ec975c0b763. Data were collected as part of the NSF research project "NNA Track 1: Collaborative Research: Navigating Impacts of the Arctic Tourism Industry on Nature, Commerce, and Culture in Northern Communities". This project addressed the challenges resulting from rapidly growing cruise-ship tourism encompassing natural, social and built systems of coastal communities in Alaska (Juneau and Nome), Iceland (Akureyri), Norway (Bergen) and Sweden (Visby). The overarching goals of the project were to: 1) systematically document, compare and interpret the ways in which cruise ships in Arctic and adjacent waters are impacting coastal communities; and 2) work together with local knowledge holders and decision makers to develop a set of data driven community-defined indicators to determine policies to enhance local adaptive capacities for identifying and responding to effects from cruise ship tourism. Data collected in this research project include transcripts of interviews, focus groups and listening sessions. These data were collected between 2021 and 2025 using a combination of online platforms and in-person sessions. In-person sessions were held in Juneau, Nome, Akureyri and Bergen during trips by members of the project team. A total of 123 persons were involved, of which 48 were in Juneau, 33 in Nome, 16 on Akureyri, 16 in Bergen and outlying communities, and 10 in Visby. Several commonalities and some differences amongst the responses were found between communities, mainly emphasizing the importance of finding a balance between social, economic and environmental impacts of cruise tourism in the communities, as well as the importance of technology (infrastructure) and public policy (governance) for sustainable cruise tourism at the community level.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2022529
- PAR ID:
- 10673038
- Publisher / Repository:
- Arctic Data Center
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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