The objective of this study is to scrutinize the possibilities and drawbacks of using storytelling

as a means of developing and marketing Nordic tourism destinations. On the basis of five

selected Nordic cases, the study sheds light both on the ways in which storytelling is practiced

and how stakeholder cooperation unfolds and seeks to determine the prerequisites for using

storytelling as part of a destination development strategy. Drawing on the literature on

storytelling as well as theory on inter-organisational relations, the study develops a theoretical

model which centres on four closely interrelated elements: types of stakeholders involved;

stages of the storytelling process; outcome of the storytelling process; and destination

development. The theoretical model serves as a central tool for the cases presented to

illustrate the issues at stake.

The five cases consist of rich sets of data: interviews with main stakeholders; collection of

industry documents, marketing material and media coverage; observation of stakeholder

meetings; and participant observation of storytelling events. The findings point to the

importance of a location-based story to conceptualize, substantiate, and commercialize a

destination. Findings suggest that some cases are characterized by individual stories of many

qualities in terms of dramaturgical principles and customer involvement, however, an overall

story framework is non-existent which makes the storytelling initiative poorly suited as a

means of destination development. In other cases, a more holistic, coordinated story can be

identified that ties the individual stories together and on this basis a common identity for the

destination seems to materialize. The nature of stakeholder relations helps explain why some

storytelling practices have destination development potential whereas others have not.

Dedicated leadership, multi-actor involvement and two-way communication appear to be

prerequisites for the destination development potential of storytelling activities.