International conference on indigenous tourism: representatives from Arctic Sweden in Inari

For three days, representatives from the hospitality industry, academia and tourism organizations from all over the world gathered in Inari, Finland, to participate in the European Indigenous Tourism Conference (EITC ) – the first WINTA conference organized in Europe. In attendance was a delegation from the Swedish Lapland Visitors Board, along with nine Sámi tourism entrepreneurs from Arctic Sweden.

Photo caption: Annika Fredriksson, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board, Marita Sikku, Dálvvás, Tom & Lotta Svensson, Båtsouj Sami Center, Håkan Enoksson, Giron Reindeer, Henry & Pia Huuva, Huuva Hideaway, Hanna Lejon, Nutti Sámi Siida, Ylva Sarri, Scandinavian Sámi Photoadventures, Malin Jonsson, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board, Lennart Pittja, Sapmi Nature Camp, Matilda Mattsson Fröjd, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board.

The conference was organized by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA), together with the Sámi Parliament of Finland and the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi. The conference discussed the prospects and future of indigenous tourism, with a particular focus on sustainable development, certifications and rights.

A strong and important conference that demonstrated the power of cooperation across national borders. It brought together indigenous representatives from Canada, Greenland, New Zealand and all of Sápmi.

Swedish Lapland Visitors Board was behind the study trip to EITC and invited entrepreneurs from Sami tourism companies in Norrbotten to join. The trip included both conference participation and a program of study visits through northern Finland.

The delegation went home with new knowledge, new friends and business contacts, and an even stronger conviction of the importance of working on cultural sustainability. Cultural sustainability in tourism means respecting, preserving and supporting indigenous cultures by ensuring that tourism is shaped from within, not by external actors.

The conference also offered culinary as well as musical experiences from the Sámi tradition – from traditional joik to rap.

The discussions around a possible quality label for Sámi experiences raised a lot of interest and could be a way to strengthen Sámi entrepreneurs in the global tourism industry.

The European Indigenous Tourism Conference 2025 was an important opportunity for Sámi entrepreneurs and actors working with sustainable tourism development to make new contacts and share experiences.

The next World Indigenous Tourism Summit (WITS), organized by WINTA, will be held in South Africa in 2026.