The Norwegian trekking association: conditions for its continued existence with new tourism patterns.

ABSTRACT The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) promotes outdoor activities all over Norway. It marks trails and operates 550 cabins, maintained by extensive voluntary efforts, throughout the country. Based on a case study of one area in Norway in which DNT operates, we discuss the prerequisites for the DNT system to be sustained and the challenges it faces with new tourism patterns. Two main conditions are paramount for the DNT system to develop. First, a large overlap between the core values of DNT and its guests is required. Second, the transfer of norms and conduct inherent in the system is conditioned by social encounters in real time and places, bodily experiences, and facilitated by face-to-face communication between fellow trekkers. Guests who are unfamiliar with the DNT system’s core values and code of conduct may threaten the system; increased attention to promoting the core values in informational material and mentors who guide newcomers may counteract these threats.