The Attraction of the Mundane – How everyday life contributes to destination attractiveness in the Nordic region

Abstract

The paper exhibits how environments, lifestyles and institutions that are considered as mundane parts of everyday life for locals, play an important role for Chinese tourists visiting the Nordic region – as motivators to visit and as tangible or intangible attractions during the visit. It contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of mundane everyday life in tourism studies, as it highlights that tourist do not only bring their everyday lives to destinations, they also travel to experience tangible and intangible elements that locals may regard as mundane. Based on these findings, the paper aims to position such mundane destination elements not only as a supplement to, but in line with traditional attractions, in terms of their contribution to destination attractiveness. The paper is based on the findings of a qualitative interview study on Chinese tourism to the Nordic region. The interviewees include fourteen Chinese tourists, sixteen representatives of Chinese tourism intermediaries and six tour guides.