We facilitated a data-driven and inclusive strategy process with Visit Lahti and over 350 regional stakeholders to chart Päijät-Häme’s path toward sustainable, four-season tourism growth.
We served as the strategic partner for Lahti Region Ltd (Visit Lahti) in crafting the Päijät-Häme Regional Tourism Strategy 2025–2030 (Road to 2030). The collaboration produced a unified growth roadmap that guides regional destination development, marketing, and investment across the province.
The objective was to establish a long-term vision, ambitious yet realistic growth targets, and an actionable roadmap to transition Päijät-Häme toward sustainable, year-round tourism. A core priority was aligning regional actors around a shared operating model that strengthens business competitiveness, balances seasonal demand, enhances digital bookability, and accelerates tourism investments.
The strategy was built through an extensive co-creation process engaging more than 350 tourism stakeholders—including local businesses, municipalities, business development organizations, educational institutions, the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme, and Visit Finland. Moving systematically from data-driven baseline diagnostics and future scenario modeling to strategic choices, the process ensured strong regional ownership from day one.
Key actions and deliverables included:
Extensive stakeholder engagement: Facilitating Visit Lahti tourism evenings, nine thematic expert workshops, stakeholder surveys, and digital co-creation platforms.
Data analysis and scenario modeling: Evaluating current market positioning, seasonality, and key performance indicators to model realistic long-term growth trajectories.
Strategic pillars and priorities: Defining the regional vision, quantitative targets, and four core strategic themes: Standing out in Finland and internationally (unified destination brand and recommendation culture), Salpausselkä and Lake Päijänne as engines of growth (year-round flagship events and thematic experience clusters in sports, lake and nature tourism, and local culture), Easily accessible, digitally bookable, and responsibly experienced, and Succeeding with a shared playbook (smart tourism growth platform and attractive investment environment).
Governance and phased implementation: Clarifying the division of responsibilities among Visit Lahti, municipalities, the regional council, development agencies, educational institutions, and businesses, supported by a three-phase implementation roadmap and KPI framework.
The outcome is an actionable provincial tourism strategy that serves as a shared playbook for Päijät-Häme through 2030. Its overarching vision is to establish Päijät-Häme as the most recommended four-season destination in Finland—easily accessible, digitally bookable, and responsibly experienced.
The strategy sets clear quantitative targets for 2030:
Growing regional tourism revenue from €360 million to €600 million.
Reaching over one million annual overnight stays, with international visitors accounting for more than 20% of the total.
Increasing tourism employment from 4,550 to 6,300 jobs.
Backed by a unified provincial brand, structured experience clusters, an investment attraction model, and a measurable action program, the strategy provides a concrete foundation for commercial growth and regional vitality.