[mynd 1 h]On Thursday, May 2, two master's thesis will be presented in the Coastal and Marine Management master's program at the University Centre of the Westfjords. At 15:00 Hildur Sólveig Elvarsdóttir presents her thesis titled, An Approach Towards Sustainable Coastal Tourism Management: Nature-based Tourism in Nuuk Fjord, Greenland. See further information about the thesis in its abstract below. The thesis advisor is Professor Marc L. Miller, a Visiting Faculty at the CMM program and Professor at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. The external reader is Catherine Chambers, a PhD candidate at the University of Alaska, lecturer at Hólar Univeristy and a specialist in coastal culture at Þekkingarsetur Blönduósi.

At 17:00 Maik Brötzmann presents his thesis titled, Arctic and Subarctic Gateways for Private Nautical Tourism: A Feasibility Study for a Marina Development in Ísafjörður, Iceland. See further information about the thesis in its abstract below. The thesis advisor is Professor Marc L. Miller, a Visiting Faculty at the CMM program and Professor at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. The external reader is Catherine Chambers, a PhD candidate at the University of Alaska, lecturer at Hólar Univeristy and a specialist in coastal culture at Þekkingarsetur Blönduósi.
[mynd 2 h]
At 15:00, Hildur Sólveig Elvarsdóttir
An Approach Towards Sustainable Coastal Tourism Management: Nature-based Tourism in Nuuk Fjord, Greenland

Abstract
This thesis discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with nature-based tourism in Nuup Kangerlua, Greenland. Nuup Kangerlua is a complex fjord system that is home to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and Kapisillit, a small village inst in the fjord. The fjord is mostly wilderness where hunting, fishing, recreation activities, tourism, transport, and perhaps soon to be iron ore mining take place. The wilderness offers opportunities for increased tourism development. Such development opportunities can cause both positive and negative impacts on the environment, society and the economy. Three key concepts introduced in this thesis for sustainable nature-based coastal tourism development in Nuup Kangerlua include sustainable coastal tourism management, nature-based tourism, and the Broker-Local-Tourist (BLT) model. Three assessments were conducted for Nuup Kangerlua and served as the tools needed in order to develop and manage sustainable tourism. The BLT assessment showed that the actors of the tourism sector in Nuup Kangerlua have a close relationship; most tourists either visit family or are in Nuuk on business. The natural amenity and facility assessment showed that Nuup Kangerlua has many nature-based amenities although the facilities for nature-based tourism activities are modest and should be developed and marketed to meet the tourism needs. The conflict assessment showed that conflicts within the tourism sector, as well as growing conflicts with other coastal sectors, were present. As a result of the assessments, it is recommended to increase tourism marketing in Nuuk. In order to increase the number of tourism sites visited and increase the number of tourists, it is recommended that recreation areas be identified and labeled. Planning for a marine protected area and biosphere reserve should also be commenced. To reduce conflict within the tourism sector and between coastal sectors, it is recommended that nature guidelines and integrated coastal zone management be introduced for Nuup Kangerlua.

[mynd 3 h]At 17:00, Maik Brötzmann
Arctic and Subarctic Gateways for Private Nautical Tourism: A Feasibility Study for a Marina Development in Ísafjörður, Iceland

Abstract
Private nautical tourism in arctic and subarctic settings has been generally neglected in polar tourism studies. This thesis draws attention towards private nautical tourism as a viable economic supplement and alternative form of tourism for rural coastal communities. Understanding this opportunity, its economic and management implications, and its users' characteristics are the core of this research. The study covers basic concepts and provides a feasibility assessment for marina development via SWOT analysis for a gateway functioning community in the secluded Westfjords of Iceland. Research data are compiled from secondary sources, interviews, questionnaires and a synthesis of related scientific articles, industry and policy documents, media publications, and baseline information. The case study confirms the conditional economic feasibility of private nautical tourism developments in high-latitude gateway locations and reveals users as adventure-seeking, authenticity-driven and environmentally-motivated. It is concluded that marina-oriented developments meeting certain conditions can be beneficial to remote rural arctic and subarctic communities in diverse ways. However, because of short and unpredictable seasons and changing user volumes, private sector marinas must be integrated with other business in the community to be profitable.