Certification of indigenous cultures in tourism:the case of the Sápmi Experience Quality Mark

• Main Author: García-Rosell, José-Carlos
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: cultural responsibility; quality; certification; indigenous tourism; indigenous culture; responsibility; responsible tourism; sustainability; sustainable tourism; sustainable marketing; Responsible branding; Tourism; Sami culture; Sami tourism; tourism experiences; responsible consumption; ethical consumption; Lapland; Swedish Lapland; /dk/atira/pure/person/fieldofscience2010/5/12; Business and management; culture sami; sami
• Online Access: https://research.ulapland.fi/fi/publications/9325c4cd-7607-4eae-a1bc-cd53a9fa5c5a

For the past two decades, labels, certifications and standards have emerged as management and marketing tools for helping companies manage and reduce the environmental and social impacts caused by their products, services and operations. These tools, which are voluntary self-regulations, are used by companies that want to go beyond legal requirements and legitimize their commitment towards responsible business practices in society. Environmental management standards, such as ISO 14001, EMAS and recently launched ISO 26000 guidance on social responsibility, are widely spread in the tourism and hospitality industry. Similarly, tourism-specific environmental certifications can be found in different regions of the world. Green Start in Finland and Nature’s Best in Sweden are good examples of environmental certifications currently used by Nordic tourism companies. Although the management of environmental and social issues through certifications has become widespread in tourism, few certifications focus on promoting responsible ways of using cultures, in particular, indigenous cultures. In this address, I will first draw attention to the consumption of indigenous cultures in tourism with special emphasis on Lapland. Second, I will discuss the certification and responsible management of indigenous cultures by using the case of a Swedish certification called “Sápmi Experience Quality Mark”.