Fiction attracts tourists

Interest in our cultural heritage is growing. Increasing numbers of people want to know more about their culture and history, and also wish to have new experiences. LiU researchers are now studying how our changed habits affect community development.

Astrid Lindgren, the author of children’s books, is read and loved the world over. Today, a tourist industry based upon Sweden’s world famous storyteller and her place of birth, Vimmerby, is growing.
The theme park, Astrid Lindgren’s World, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year – a third of them from outside of Sweden. The dream of the pure, simple life in The Six Bullerby Children and meeting all of the characters in Astrid’s books such as Pippi Longstocking, Karlsson-on-the-Roof and The Brothers Lionheart not only attracts Swedes. Development has led to all of Vimmerby expanding, and now becoming a part of the Astrid Lindgren brand.
There are many examples of the experience industry and the tourist trade seen in Vimmerby.  More and more people have the time, energy and money to discover the world around them. The more unique the experience offered, the more tourists are attracted.

Researchers at Linköping University are studying aspects of local community development, the tourist industry and cultural heritage, in which Vimmerby and Astrid Lindgren’s World are at the centre of the questions posed. Many of the questions and answers are broad in nature and highlight the general development of tourism and culture that are common in many parts of the world.
Peter Aronsson is a professor in the practical use of history and cultural heritage, and has studied how our cultural heritage influences the development of tourism. The term cultural heritage was coined rather recently in 1990.

“Changes were rapidly occurring in the world then. The Soviet Union fell and the Berlin Wall was torn down. Globalisation was on the march. The future was becoming less predictable. As a result, people began to focus on the process of change in a historical perspective. To safeguard the past – everything that has shaped us and our identity – became important. Not just in Sweden, but in other parts of Europe as well”, says Peter Aronsson. 

Economic and political changes in our surroundings are one of the reasons behind the development of this new form of tourism. Not just historical events are put on show, but also fictitious people from literature and films are brought to light. For example, film tourism, in which people go to places where films were made is growing rapidly. The Lord of the Rings films bring multitudes of visitors to New Zealand each year. Interest is also growing for the Stockholm area where Stieg Larsson’s thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was filmed.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

In conjunction with increased interest, new locations have been added to the tourist map. The purposeful marketing in certain areas is noticeable, especially in sparsely populated areas where people are often on the look-out for new hope and ways to earn a living.
“For example, here in Sweden Hultsfred has developed the rock scene and offers courses in music. Or Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden with its world famous icehotel”, continues Peter Aronsson.

Concurrent with its growth, the experience tourism industry is becoming an issue of increasing economic and political importance to municipalities and regions.  Josefina Syssner who is an ethno-geographic expert has studied why. One reason is the reduced responsibility of the state for creating employment throughout the country. Today, economic development is expected to be created at the local and regional levels.
At the same time the demand for experiential events has increased.

“Material consumption has not declined, but has instead been complemented with the consumption of experiences. Travelling and experiencing have become a way to create identity”, say Josefina Syssner.
In the search for more tourists, visitors and residents, there is a risk that stereotypes will emerge, with simplified images and slogans that exclude a portion of the residents who live in the area.
This is a democratic issue Josefina Syssner, points out.

“The gap can become wider and wider between the image of a local community that the business community and politicians want to communicate, and the life that everyday people actually live.  In Vimmerby, a clear and distinct link with Astrid Lindgrens’s world and stories has been made in the municipality’s profiling efforts. From a strategic perspective, this is presumably an entirely correct decision. At the same time, the greater portion of real, every¬day life in Vimmerby ends up becoming excluded from the profile that is being focused on. This is a problem that Vimmerby shares with many other municipalities and regions.” 

Footnote: In the autumn of 2009, the book “Lokal samhällsutveckling, upplevelseindustri och kulturarv” (“Local Community Development, the Experience Industry and Cultural Heritage”), will be released. It is an anthology based upon Vimmerby and Astrid Lindgren.  Eight LiU researchers write about a variety of issues from different perspectives. The research project was initiated by the Centre for Municipality Studies.

Text: Eva Bergstedt