Resources and barriers in tourism development: cross-border cooperation, regionalization and destination building at the Finnish-Swedish border

Abstract

In the process of nation-building border regions have been integrated with the national centres and cross-border connections have decreased, leaving these regions in a rather peripheral and marginal position. Such state-centric, differential
development has been challenged in many border regions, particularly in the area of the European Union, and there has been a shift towards cross-border partnership and cooperation, manifested in common tourism development strategies and the building of cross-border destinations. This paper examines the
regional and institutional framework for cross-border cooperation, networking and tourism development at the Finnish-Swedish border, which is one of the internal borders of the European Union. The conclusion of the paper is that the
relational distance created by the border and the dependence of cross-border tourism development on programme funding causes hindrances, particularly when viewed from the perspective of sustainable development of the tourism industry in this northern region.