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Introduction
The last two decades have seen a rapid expansion of tourist activity in the polar regions (Stewart and others 2005). Peripheral, remote tourist destinations are by definition distant, rather expensive, often difficult to access, and have a limited tourist season (Brown and Hall 2000). Nevertheless demand for new forms of tourism, such as community-based tourism arises from increased concern and interest in unique and fragile ecosystems. Many small-scale regions and remote areas have attempted to enhance their economic situation through the promotion of tourism (Blackman and others 2004). Governments consider tourism as one of the possibilities of economic development, since tourism can create a range of employment opportunities. Workers are needed to provide the services and construct the facilities that tourists need, while tourist expenditures can contribute directly and indirectly to local economy. To what extent the development of tourism in a remote peripheral area can be seen as a concrete possibility for viable economic and socio-cultural sustainability, and how can the local communities obtain some benefits from tourist development? Much has been written about the need to involve local population in the planning and development of tourism (Lewis and Newsome 2003; Murphy and Murphy 2002; Pearce 2002). Less has been written on how to accomplish this ideal and to reach the high expectations of better income, more jobs and an improved quality of life, created by policy-makers and tourism developers.
The National Park of Greenland
Established on 22 May 1974, located at 71°00' N to 83°00' N, 11°39' W to 63°' W, the park covers a surface of 972,000 km2, from the northern part of Ittoqqortoormiit in East Greenland to the north-eastern part of Qaanaaq in the high north of Greenland (Fig. 1). Mainly composed of inland ice and fjords, the park is an Arctic desert and icecap. Approved in January 1977 as an International Biosphere Reserve under the Unesco 'Man and the Biosphere' Programme, the park does not comply with IUCN criteria (protection category II, National Park) since permission to carry out mineral exploitation in the National Park (1994) is permitted. Officially, there is no permanent human population in the park; however, between 20 and 30 scientists, the personnel of a meteorological station, and...