Consuming stories: placing food in the Arctic tourism experience

The Circumpolar North holds an increasing allure for travellers, combining romantic perceptions of ‘wilderness’ with a nostalgia for a frontier land far removed from ‘civilization’ and the maladies of modernity. Following global food tourism trends, the unique attributes of the circumpolar cupboard are being recognized, thus enhancing the appeal of northern destinations. Arctic food tourism is embracing the rich storytelling traditions of circumpolar peoples, both the indigenous people who have always lived with the land and more recent newcomers who have made ‘the North’ their home. The slow and local food movements are also impacting how Arctic foods are presented within tourism. This article examines emerging food tourism trends in the Circumpolar North. The growing importance of food and its relationship to land-based traditions and tourism activities in northern Canada and Sweden is evaluated. How northern foods and food-related traditions are used to position polar tourism in the marketplace is explored through textual analysis. There are unique challenges posed by this complex development environment including challenges encountered in developing tourism in peripheral areas generally, as well as specific food-related matters. Results underline impacts of food tourism trends and highlight how, in the North, consuming food is also about consuming stories.