Abstract:
Norway has become more and more attractive as a tourist destination in the last 20 years, not only for the Norwegian people themselves but also for international tourists from all over the world. The Norwegian government and stakeholders have to keep up with the evolution of needed maintenance and preservation to keep the tourism industry in landscapes sustainable for current and future generations. In this thesis I am discussing what makes Norway's landscape attractive in general, however, I go more specifically into how Italian travellers look at Norway as a destination and what makes them want to or not want to visit it. For the basis of this thesis, I use theories on what a landscape is and how it could be viewed and theories on heritage as a resource for tourism.
The research questions I am answering throughout this thesis are: Will nature be preserved well enough for future generations if natural sites are available for everyone? Is tourism in the unique sites of Norway a risk for these places? Will the sites lose their attractiveness and authenticity? What is the Norwegian government doing to preserve their landscapes and natural sites? How is the Norwegian landscape an attractive destination for Italian travellers?
