Downshifting dutch rural tourism entrepreneurs in Sweden : challenges, opportunities and implications for the swedish welfare state

This chapter offers a much-needed exploration of downshifting in the context of lifestyle migration and tourism entrepreneurship. Analysing results from 12 interviews with Dutch tourism entrepreneurs in rural Sweden, it draws attention to gender issues in male and female reasoning around motivations for migration and their daily business practices. It illustrates gender differences in downshifting, since more women work in tourism, while men find employment in other sectors and in less rural areas. The authors relate this with social and spatial inequality in the Swedish welfare state. They conclude with reflections on implications of increased downshifting practices for Sweden, and suggestions for future research.