The Right of Public Access - Opportunity or Obstacle for Nature Tourism in Sweden?

Access to countryside areas - by means of personal ownership, designated areas or free access - is fundamental to outdoor recreation and nature tourism. This paper examines the role of the Right of Public Access for public participation in outdoor recreation and nature tourism supply in Sweden. This right can be seen both as a ofree spaceo for recreation and a way of restricting land ownership. Our study shows that the Right of Public Access has strong support among the Swedish public in general and that designated areas for recreation are less important than public access for outdoor recreation participation. Among nature tourism entrepreneurs, the Right of Public Access is considered a success factor to a much higher extent than an obstacle. We identify a tension between the general public and nature tourism entrepreneurs with respect to traditional backcountry activities such as hiking, cross-country skiing and nature studies. One important challenge for the future will be to balance the demand for outdoor recreation with nature tourism opportunities for local economic development, and the paper concludes with a set of topics suggested for further discussion concerning the Right of Public Access in a dynamic world.