Local Handicrafts as Authentic Tourism Souvenirs Enhancing Cultural Values Through Storytelling. Case: Finnish Lapland

Abstract

While souvenir business greatly increases revenue for tourism industry, local handicrafts as souvenirs should be able to connect tourists with the culture and heritage of a destination. The objectives of this research were to examine how authentic handicrafts can promote the culture of a destination through storytelling. Cultural sensitivity in tourism was also considered in the context of Finnish Lapland with the inhabitation of Indigenous people. The commissioner for this thesis was Hilla House Oy, a local souvenir business with long history of making handicrafts with natural materials.

In this thesis, tourism theoretical concepts related to souvenirs, authenticity, cultural sensitivity and storytelling were studied. Qualitative methodology was adapted to allow in-depth conversations with three stakeholders relating to handicrafts in tourism industry. Data for this research were collected using semi-structured interviews in order to clarify their perspectives on each topic. The collected date were analysed through thematic analysis, a systematic technique that recognises and evaluates data patterns and sorts them into themes.

The results suggest that storytelling plays an important role in defining the authenticity of local and traditional handicrafts, whereas it is still an ongoing discussion in terms of the usage and commoditisation of Indigenous handicrafts and souvenirs. The research finds that local handmade handicrafts and souvenirs with natural materials contained stories about its origins, which creates an opportunity to educate tourists about local history and culture. In addition, while exploring and emerging to local culture, tourists need to be aware of cultural sensitivity and avoid cultural appropriation.