What does it mean to travel ethically in places where humans are not the main actors—but just one species among many?

In Arctic Norway, encounters with orcas, reindeer, huskies, snow, and even lichen challenge traditional ideas of tourism. These are not passive backdrops or attractions. They are active participants in the experience.

A recent scholarly chapter by Frida Marie Omma explores exactly this question, focusing on how nature guides can foster more ethical, respectful, and sustainable forms of tourism by recognizing the agency of non-human life.

The research offers powerful lessons for the future of travel—especially in fragile environments like the Arctic.

From Wildlife “Attractions” to More-Than-Human Encounters

Much of conventional nature tourism treats animals and landscapes as resources to be consumed: sightings to tick off, photos to capture, experiences to package.

Omma’s work challenges this mindset.

Drawing on multispecies ethnography, posthumanist thinking, and ethics of care, the chapter reframes tourism experiences as co-created encounters between humans and non-humans—each with their own needs, rhythms, and agency.

In this view, ethical tourism begins by asking not:

What do tourists want?
but rather:
How can humans responsibly engage with other beings who also inhabit this place?

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The Moral Role of Nature Guides

At the heart of the research are nature guides—individuals who mediate encounters between visitors and the more-than-human world.

Rather than simply facilitating access, guides become ethical caretakers, navigating responsibilities toward animals, landscapes, and communities.

Three Arctic tourism experiences illustrate this beautifully.

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Whale Watching: Recognizing Orca Agency

In Arctic Norway, whale-watching often centers on orcas following herring migrations. These encounters are unpredictable by nature.

Omma highlights how ethical whale-watching guides:

• Acknowledge that whales choose whether to appear
• Adjust routes and behavior based on whale movement
• Avoid crowding or pressuring animals for tourist satisfaction

Here, whales are not objects of observation—they are decision-makers.

Recognizing orca agency shifts tourism ethics from control to attentive presence, where restraint becomes a form of respect.

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Dogsledding: Care as an Ongoing Relationship

Dogsledding is often marketed as a romantic Arctic adventure. But Omma’s research emphasizes what ethical guiding looks like behind the scenes.

Caring relations between guides and huskies involve:

• Understanding individual dogs’ personalities and limits
• Prioritizing rest, health, and social bonds
• Recognizing that not all dogs enjoy or should participate in every tour

Rather than tools of transport, huskies are co-workers and companions.

Ethical dogsledding, in this sense, is not an activity—it is a relationship sustained over time.

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Sámi Reindeer Herding: Interspecies Coexistence

Perhaps the most profound example comes from Sámi-led tourism experiences involving reindeer.

For the Sámi people, reindeer are not simply animals. They are central to:

• Culture
• Livelihood
• Identity
• Cosmology

Omma’s chapter shows how Sámi guides understand tourism as embedded within long-standing interspecies coexistence, where humans, reindeer, snow conditions, vegetation, and seasonal rhythms are deeply interconnected.

Tourism that ignores these relationships risks undermining both culture and ecology.

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Curious Facts About the Sámi People

To understand ethical tourism in Arctic Norway, it helps to know more about the Sámi:

• The Sámi are Europe’s only recognized Indigenous people, living across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
• Reindeer herding is not just an economic activity—it shapes language, storytelling, clothing, and calendars.
• Sámi knowledge systems emphasize listening to land and animals, not dominating them.
• Lichen—often overlooked by visitors—is vital, as it sustains reindeer through harsh winters.
• Traditionally, Sámi worldviews resist strict separations between nature and culture; humans are part of a relational web, not above it.

These perspectives align closely with contemporary ideas in sustainability—but have existed in Sámi culture for centuries.

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Ethics of Care in a More-Than-Human World

A key contribution of Omma’s research is applying ethics of care to tourism.

This means:

• Placing non-human interests at the center of ethical evaluation
• Accepting limits and uncertainty
• Recognizing that not all encounters should happen
• Valuing long-term relationships over short-term profit

Sustainable tourism, in this framing, is not only about carbon footprints or visitor numbers—it is about how care is practiced.

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Why This Matters for the Future of Travel

As climate change accelerates and fragile ecosystems face increasing pressure, tourism must evolve.

This research suggests that:

• Guides play a critical role in shaping ethical travel
• Indigenous perspectives offer essential insights
• More-than-human thinking helps reframe sustainability
• Tourism can support livelihoods without sacrificing respect

In Arctic Norway, ethical tourism futures depend on recognizing that humans are guests in a shared world.

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From Theory to Practice

For travelers, this research invites reflection:

• Are we willing to accept fewer sightings for the sake of animal well-being?
• Can we value presence over performance?
• Do we choose experiences led by people who care deeply for the places and beings involved?

For guides and operators, it reinforces that relationships—not attractions—are the foundation of ethical tourism.

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Final Thoughts

Nature guiding, when rooted in care and respect, becomes more than a profession.
It becomes a form of stewardship.

In Arctic Norway, encounters with orcas, huskies, reindeer, snow, and lichen remind us that travel is never just about humans moving through space—it is about coexisting responsibly with others who already live there.

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Academic Credit

This blog post is inspired by and draws conceptually from:

Omma, Frida Marie (2026).
Nature guiding and ethics in tourism: More-than-human encounters in Arctic Norway.
In Justice, Power, and Mobility in Tourism (1st ed.). Routledge.
Chapter available via Taylor & Francis:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003450948-14

At Luminous Photo Expeditions, we believe ethical travel begins with humility—recognizing that we are visitors in living landscapes shaped by human and more-than-human relationships. The lessons from Arctic Norway mirror our own approach to expedition design: placing care, respect, and local knowledge at the center of every journey. Whether traveling through Indigenous territories, fragile ecosystems, or remote cultures, we aim to create experiences where listening matters more than consuming, and where meaningful encounters leave places—and the beings who inhabit them—stronger than we found them.