National study on a new collaborative operating model for promoting tourism in Finland

Rapid shifts in the global operating environment, intensifying international competition, and the need for resource efficiency call for transparent governance and clearly defined responsibilities across the tourism ecosystem. Carried out during autumn 2026, this study aims to formulate a competitive, resource-wise, and synergistic operating model that strengthens both international inbound travel and domestic tourism in Finland.

The work examines core tourism promotion functions and critical enabling activities—such as international marketing, travel trade, digital distribution, productization, and data collaboration—while clarifying the roles, division of labor, and funding structures among national bodies, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), industry associations, and tourism businesses.

Executed during autumn 2026, the study follows a structured 5/3/1 development methodology that combines nationwide stakeholder engagement, international benchmarking, and structural value-chain modeling:

• Baseline diagnostics and nationwide industry survey: Mapping current tasks, responsibilities, and structural bottlenecks by synthesizing prior national and international research (including OECD and UN Tourism frameworks) with a comprehensive survey directed at Finnish tourism enterprises, DMOs, municipalities, and development organizations.

• International benchmarking and YTR modeling: Conducting an in-depth comparative analysis of five peer countries (Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Slovenia). Using FlowHouse’s YTR framework (Unit–Task–Resource), we model the entire tourism promotion value chain, governance structures, and funding logic from the national level down to regional DMOs and commercial operators.

• International validation and stakeholder co-creation: Synthesizing alternative operating model concepts that are stress-tested and refined with an independent International Advisory Board and evaluated in participatory workshops with the National Tourism Forum (Matkailufoorumi).

• Decision-making tools and implementation roadmap: Formulating a detailed operating model proposal complete with a task transition matrix, funding framework, phased implementation roadmap, long-term KPIs, and an interactive web application for modeling structural and resource scenarios.