Mid Sweden University

Event portfolios play a crucial role in regional development, fostering economic growth, community identity, and destination branding. While economic impacts of events have been extensively studied, their social impacts-especially at the portfolio level- remain underexplored. This paper addresses this gap by applying Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to measure the non-use value of a regional event portfolio in Jämtland, Sweden. Using survey data from 414 regional residents, we assess willingness to pay (WTP) for twelve prominent events, capturing the perceived social value beyond direct participation. Findings indicate significant variation in WTP across different event types and demographic groups, with sports and cultural events eliciting distinct patterns of valuation. Results suggest that non-use value is a viable metric for assessing the social impact of event portfolios, providing policymakers and event managers with actionable insights for strategic planning. This study contributes to event portfolio research by demonstrating how CVM can be systematically applied to quantify social value, offering a framework for more informed event policy and funding decisions.

In this research, we discuss how immigrants’ experiences in outdoor activities are influenced by the social capital, and how these activities can promote immigrants’ social integration leading to their environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviors. Engagement in domestic tourism exposes interconnected justice challenges in multicultural countries. Immigrants’ perceived disparities, social and environmental vulnerabilities, inclusion in outdoor activities, and justice are some pressing issues considered in the research. Moreover, integrating justice into domestic tourism discourses is urging the re-evaluation of our understanding of sustainable tourism through the lenses of justice and sustainability. Recognizing and including the immigrants’ diverse voices is essential in generating new insights on sustainable transformative options, developing theoretical and empirical foundations to guide tourism communities and national and regional policy responses, especially within the outdoor setting, which brings up both social and environmental concerns. This research discusses how the holistic approach to both social and environmental aspects of outdoor recreation through the ethnic or immigrant lens can address the complex web of sustainability challenges, fostering more just and sustainable future of tourism. We adopt a social capital lens to understand the social and environmental implications of domestic tourism within the context of outdoor recreational activities. Empirically, this chapter is based on interviews with immigrants in the north of Sweden – a region known for its nature and outdoor pursuits. 

Immigrant-receiving societies, like Sweden, underscore the importance of immigrant integrationinto mainstream life. While integration through leisure activities and outdoor recreation has beena focal point in Europe (Gentin, 2011), academic research on this aspect is lacking in Sweden. This is significant given Sweden's strong social and economic ties to outdoor activities. Sweden, renowned for its vast forests and natural environment, places importance on outdoor recreational activities, winter sports, and international events. Major sports events not only impact regional economies but also contribute to positive social outcomes, including a sense of pride and improved quality of life (Wallstam et al., 2020). The popularity of outdoor activities among Swedes, with one in three Swedes ages 6-80 engage in sports (Idrottsstatistik, 2022) and one-third in outdoor recreation (Public Health Agency for Sweden, 2018), make the mintegral to daily life. Sports and outdoor activities serve as potential avenues for immigrants to connect with natives, acting as social bridges for integration (Ekholm, 2019; Elbe et al., 2018). Previous research highlights the potential for integration through events and leisure activities, with factors such as race (Qian & Cobas, 2004), and cultural differences (Kalmijn & Tubergen, 2006) influencing cross-group interactions. This study focuses on the social integration of immigrants in Jämtland County, Sweden, exploring socially sustainable tourism perspectives, social capital (Putnam, 1993), and integration frameworks (Ndofor-Tah et al., 2019). Insights from 34 immigrants reveal events as potent settings for building interactions and networks. However, the study emphasizes that time and active involvement in events are fundamental for integration, placing a substantial responsibility on immigrants. Moreover, the study reveals that immigrants perceive events differently from other leisure activities, particularly sports, underscoring a significant and multifaceted information gap. Recognizing the distinctive role and importance of events in their social lives during the post-immigration period is crucial, calling for increased awareness among both immigrants and relevant stakeholders. 

Evenemang blir en allt vanligare reseanledning och passar vårt sätt att resa; flera gånger per år, men kortare i tid. Allt fler väljer att besöka evenemang, både som deltagare och som åskådare. En stadigt växande efterfrågan och ett ökat utbud förstärks av rådande trender inom hälsa och livsstil.

Ökningen av evenemang skapar glädje och gemenskap samt möjligheter genom ökad sysselsättning och tillväxt, men innebär också en ökad belastning på miljön. Inte sällan återfinns evenemang i känsliga miljöer i mer eller mindre perifera lägen, men även evenemang i stadsmiljöer påverkar miljön på olika sätt.

Det är viktigt men svårt att mäta miljöeffekter av evenemang. De många tänkbara perspektiven kopplat till tid, geografi och aktörer gör att öppenhet och transparens är av största vikt. Stort fokus har legat på negativa miljöeffekter av evenemang, men rätt planerat och genomfört kan evenemang också bidra till att driva en rörelse i mer hållbar riktning. Utöver de miljömässiga effekterna är det angeläget att dessutom väga in ekonomiska och sociala aspekter.

Syftet med guiden är att ge en snabb och populärvetenskaplig introduktion till miljömässiga effekter av evenemang - centrala begrepp och perspektiv. Guiden har framställts av forskare på ETOUR vid Mittuniversitetet

Aktörer och beslutsfattare på statlig, regional, kommunal och destinationsnivå, behöver veta vad evenemangen man stöder betyder för samhället. Kunskap om evenemangseffekter är viktig för att bestämma hur man bör förhålla sig till nuvarande och framtida evenemang. Inte minst efterfrågas de ekonomiska effekter som evenemang förväntas bidra med, då dessa ofta ligger till grund för synen på stöd, finansiering och samhällsnytta.

Syftet med guiden är att ge en snabb och populärvetenskaplig introduktion till turismekonomiska utvärderingar av evenemang så att de som beställer, utför, eller läser utvärderingar, får en översikt över de viktigaste frågorna att ställa för att kunna säkerställa att utvärderingen i fråga är ändamålsenlig. Guiden har framställts av forskare på ETOUR vid Mittuniversitetet. 

Jämtland in Northern Sweden is one of the most tourism and eventintense regions in the country. The rise in volume of events in alpine and subarctic nature environments, and the subsequent increase in participants, requires closer scrutiny of the environmental impacts.The region is characterised by mountains, forests and a sensitive ecological environment, and shared by several land users. With this study, we aim to gain in-depth knowledge of how environmental impacts are understood and valued in the regional assessment process for nature-based events and organised outdoor recreation.We analyse permit documents from the County Administrative Board of Jämtland from 2011 to 2020. The results show that most events were approved, and none were rejected solely due to environmental concerns. Assessments were instead balanced against other considerations, such as local development and economic gains. We argue that these priorities make nature a commercial arena for events, visitors and recreationists. This paper sheds light on human use and the associated environmental effects that further increase the pressure on nature. We end with managerial implications and propose that the permit process can be improved and integrated into spatial planning.