Abstract
In Sweden, as in other Scandinavian countries, many regions are experiencing a restructuring characterized by a decrease or even halt in the production of goods leading to a shift where the provision of service has become the dominant sector. This change affects all aspects of the local community as pressure is put on the public sector to meet the increasing needs of an ageing population when tax revenues decrease. During the last decades, policy strategies have been presented in order to assist regions in transforming their economic base and create regional development in rural as well as urban areas. Tourism was designated as a successful area of activities in this regard already during the 1980s, potential being found in the possibilities to create job opportunities without having to invest in costly plants or extraction of raw materials. In fact, the abundant nature itself was now regarded as an asset and the place-boundedness of a destination would prevent established operations from moving out. Today, development of destinations is on the agenda in all parts of the country and there are ventures initiated on national level as public and private sectors cooperate in partnership in accordance with strategies from the EU structural funds. Tourism is often seen as an industry lacking specific requirements regarding skills and knowledge and hence, it has been stated that entrance barriers to the tourism labor market are low. However in the high-cost societies of the Nordic countries a situation of increasing global competition requires good value for money in order to stay in business. Hence, as for other industries, it can be anticipated that access to knowledge becomes increasingly crucial for developing tourism. This study aims at analyzing the changing access to knowledge within the tourism industry. By using a longitudinal geo-referenced population register covering all individuals in Sweden, the geographical and temporal development of access to academic knowledge within the industry can be mapped. The results of the study allow for monitoring changes in the knowledge landscapes for various segments of the tourism industry. Moreover, it allows also for assessing the impact of these changes on destination performance as measured in commercial overnight stays and business turnovers.