ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses case study of two remote Arctic regions: East Svalbard, Norway and Nunavut, Canada. East Svalbard, the specific area studied here, is not inhabited but is visited by hundreds of cruise tourists every year. Tourism development in Nunavut, on the other hand, has been governed through a less clearly defined approach, including both an emphasis on community involvement and an expectation of broader development leadership by government and the industry. The contrasting and corroborating case studies described in the chapter share a tale of the challenges associated with tourism governance in remote and fragile regions of the globe. The cases demonstrate that progress towards a destination status involves politics, planning and governance, and the more encompassing analytical perspective of a tourism region. Stakeholders involved in governing or managing tourism in Svalbard and Nunavut made use of terms like acting responsibly and adaptive management.
