ABSTRACT
Since the late 2010s, Chinese tourists have gradually discovered Svalbard, an archipelago in the High Arctic governed by Norway. The yearly increase in tourism has been steep, and a Chinese presence has become an issue of local, national, and global relevance. Svalbard stands in the midst of environmental and socioeconomic change. While of high geopolitical importance, it has been hit harshly by the pandemic crisis. This chapter contextualises the emergence of Chinese tourism in Svalbard and examines local perceptions and lived experiences of such tourism. What information is available about the phenomenon? Who are the Chinese visiting Svalbard? What are their motivations and expectations? How is the new clientele locally received? How do managers of tourism, businesspersons, guides, and service industry workers see and understand the wealthy and supposedly politically loyal Chinese guests? What is problematic, and how can Svalbard prepare for an unpredictable future? The chapter offers an anthropological insight into the complex issue of Chinese tourism in a disappearing Arctic destination previously reliant on mining.
