Thomas Blom

Thomas Blom is a Professor of Human Geography at Karlstad University, Sweden. His research focuses on tourism geography, cultural landscapes, dark tourism, and regional development. He has authored over 100 publications since the 1990s, collaborating frequently with scholars like Mats Nilsson and Lotta Braunerhielm. His work explores themes such as fika culture as a tourist attraction, geographical disparities in education, and the symbolic value of places.

Key research interests include the intersection of tourism and identity, sensory experiences in travel (e.g., tactile tourism), and the commodification of morbid or mythic sites. He has studied pilgrimage routes, postindustrial landscapes, and the globalization of study-abroad destinations.

Blom’s publications often blend empirical analysis with theoretical frameworks, addressing both academic and practical audiences. His research engages with topics like sustainable development in marginal regions, the role of universities in regional growth, and the evolution of tourism products from traditional to contemporary forms.