Tourism in this region has become the main income source of employment and income replacing traditional industries such as forestry.
Development from a period of extractive industry to an industrial society has come about quickly. In 1950 the largest part of Lapland’s inhabitants lived in rural areas and more than half the workforce worked in forestry and agriculture. Today 65 % of the workforce are in the service industry, 22 % in processing and 10 % in primary production.
This huge growth in tourism and service provision has been developed in conjunction with a long-term sustainable tourism plan with one of the primary objectives being to maintain nature in its natural state while guaranteeing the traditional way of life.
Much of this has been achieved along with membership of EU development programmes, aimed at diversifying sources of livelihood, effective usage of resources and to increase export.
Approximately a quarter of Lapland’s 100 000 strong workforce was unemployed in 1997. Promoting entrepreneurship, ongoing re-education of the workforce and development of the educational system to suit the needs of enterprises is continuing. The target is to diversify the sources of livelihood, increase the value of refinement production and develop new enterprises particularly in the area of tourism. National measures as well as EU-programme measures support this objective.
We embrace this philosophy, employing local activity providers and using only locally owned hotels. In this manner we help to maintain jobs in an area where unemployment was, until recently, very high. Additionally, the use of local suppliers ensures that the tourism spend filters through to local economies via the tourism multiplier effect.
In Kuhmo we work with members of Wild Taiga, a consortium of businesses who promote tourism in this remote part of Finland. Their philosophy and efforts have been recognised by the European destinations of Excellence programme where they were commended by the during who stated:
“The local everyday culture and way of life lie at the core of the destination, with the close relationship with nature constituting a strong dimension. This destination exploits local cultural knowledge, involving strong cultural and arts events alongside other cultural factors. It represents an innovative, networked operating mode, being clearly organised and striving systematically towards jointly established targets, the achievement of which is monitored. The destination works in a sustainable mode in relation to the environment, taking account of practices promoting ecological sustainability.”
Our accommodation is one of the key members of the consortium and they have strict policies in place within the hotel and during the activities which they arrange to minimise wastage and resource usage. The use local produce where possible throughout the hotel and try to promote the local traditions and culture throughout.
They provide a vital source of employment in a region which otherwise may well be effected greatly by rural to urban migration resulting in the loss of identity for the people who inhabit this unique region.