Finnish research on the history of tourism

Authors

• Mikko Manka Tampereen yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33351/mt.143984

Keywords:

tourism history research

Abstract

The review examines Finnish research and literature on the history of tourism from 2004 to 2023. Studies were sought via search engines such as Finna and Google Scholar, and the database tiedejatutkimus.fi, with irrelevant results filtered out. In the last two decades, relatively little research directly related to the history of tourism has been conducted in Finland. For example, total of six articles related articles were published in the Matkailututkimus journal. The most prominent theme has been the study of travel narratives and descriptions. Other emerging research themes included e.g. the history of tourism development, and identities, nation-states, and cultural heritage in tourism. Additionally, diverse research on the history of tourism has been conducted in various disciplines in Finland.

In the light of the review, there is not a single dominant theme in Finnish tourism history research. Moreover, the retirement of researchers or shifts in research interests due to changes in funding requirements or societal needs can quickly impact both the quantity and topics chosen for historical tourism research. The number of theses on the history of tourism seems to have slightly decreased during this period. There is ample space in Finland for new avenues of research in the field: for example, there is a need for a comprehensive presentation of tourism history that takes into account contemporary themes such as sustainability or minority issues. Furthermore, general changes that have occurred in historical research, such as the transnational turn or the rise of digital history, offer opportunities for new interpretations.