Developing sustainable tourism in national parks
The goal with Metsähallitus was to create responsible tourism development programs for Nuuksio and Archipelago National Parks.
Goals
The purpose of Metsähallitus is the responsible development of the value of nature and state-owned land across generations. Metsähallitus’ Nature Services also manages all of Finland’s 41 national parks, providing free basic services in the wilderness, customer service points, as well as online. Metsähallitus carries out valuable work in managing the nature of national parks and protecting it from wear and tear by guiding visitors to maintained trails.
Our collaboration with Metsähallitus aimed to create sustainable tourism development programs for Nuuksio and Archipelago National Parks. The program for sustainable tourism development is a shared vision and message by Metsähallitus, local tourism operators, municipalities, and cities on the key areas of focus for promoting sustainable growth and enhancing competitiveness in the parks’ tourism industry between 2023 and 2030.
What was done
We conducted close collaboration with representatives from Metsähallitus, tourism companies operating in the national parks, and other stakeholders. The development programs were created through workshop-style working sessions involving the entire network, supplemented by surveys. Interaction and cooperation, utilizing the digital collaboration platform Howspace, played a significant role.
The implementation of the work together with stakeholders was guided by FlowHouse’s four-phase strategy process:
UNDERSTANDING: Where are we now? What is the basis of our understanding? What are the challenges and development needs?
VISION: What future competition and operating environment are we preparing for in Nuuksio and Archipelago National Parks? What changes do we need to respond to in order to be responsible and competitive?
CHOICES: How do we decide to act and succeed in the future? What are our choices in managing controlled and sustainable growth in nature and cultural conservation?
IMPLEMENTATION: How do we implement the chosen changes? What does the implementation plan look like in practice? How do we lead the implementation?
Results
Metsähallitus and relevant stakeholders have a Responsible Tourism Development Program that guides future actions in practice. Key performance indicators for future success have been collectively defined to support overall management.
