Within the changing system of Arctic tourism, what should be made resilient to what, and for whom?

This chapter frames the resilience of the Arctic social-ecological tourism system in relation to forces of capital accumulation. It describes Arctic tourism–defined as voluntary temporary intra- and interregional travel for a range of purposes–in terms of a social-ecological system. Social-ecological systems analysis emphasizes two categories of relationships: the ecosystem services that humans derive from natural environments; and the influences that humans have on local ecosystems. An examination of select Arctic tourism literature, including the author's research in Barrow, Alaska, is used to develop an image of the system's identity. However, Arctic ecosystems are not the only source of attraction for tourists. The study cited above found that Indigenous cultures and western heritage are also key Arctic tourism attractions. Arctic ecosystems play an important role in drawing tourists–especially for bird watching in that case–but so too do the Indigenous culture, western heritage, and latitudinal features that are not climate-dependent.