BIOGRAPHY:
Axel Eriksson has studied tourism throughout his academic career, and the research following an anthropological tradition. In December 2025, he earned his PhD in Tourism at Mid Sweden University. He holds a master鈥檚 degree in Global Tourism Development from Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Tourism from Universidade Lus贸fona in Lisbon, Portugal. He has also made shorter and longer visits to S茫o Paulo University (Brazil), KU Leuven (Belgium), Aalborg University (Denmark) and Hokkaido University (Japan). Before his studies, he worked as a tourist guide in Portugal, among other countries.
RESEARCH:
His research directs attention to people鈥檚 encounters and connections with nature and other cultures, applying (post)qualitative and ethnographic research methods. His PhD research focuses on the acceptance of physical impacts on nature. The study area is located in northern inland Sweden, a remote area with a mountainous landscape and slow regrowth, where he analysed how different actors perceived nature-based events, such as trail running, orienteering and mountain biking. Axel also conducts research with people who live abroad long-term for lifestyle and work reasons. He has been conducting ethnographic research on foreign digital nomads coming to rural Japan to understand how their imaginaries of Japan alter when encountering another side of the culture. He has also conducted research in Portugal, where he interviewed Swedish migrants looking for a better quality of life.
Email: axellove.eriksson@ucf.edu