Tourism in peripheral regions: a Swedish policy perspective

To be successful as a motor in the development of declined regions, tourism must be integrated in a carefully planned regional development policy which has clear objectives. Regional development policy in Sweden is reviewed in the context of the northern peripheral areas of the country. The objectives were first economic and relied on the trickling down effect from the core. With the crisis of the 1970s the focus shifted to ‘quality of life’. Regional policy became more active with tourism as a sort of motor in the development plans. Most of the activities failed due to heavy dependence on investment in large public and private enterprises. The focus has now shifted to a more endogenous mode of development and, as a means to this, the restoration of the ‘brain balance’ through inward migration to the declined peripheral regions. The parameters for a tourism policy which would be a significant factor in creating an attractive region for tourism and for an inward migration which would play its role in a wider development process are set out.