Watertourism in Päijät-Häme Region

1. Watertourism in Päijät-Häme Region Ms. Virve Kärkkäinen, Lahti Region Environmental Service Mr. Reima Kauhanen, Lahti Science and Business Park Ltd.

2. Watertourism and characteristics of Päijät-Häme region • Lake Vesijärvi and Lake Päijänne • Lahti is gate to the lake district • Logation near Helsinki • About 208 rural tourism entrepreneurs • fourth of them offers clearly water based activities • Beautiful ridge and water sceneries (Salpausselkä, Pulkkilanharju) • Summer cottages for rent • Excellent opportunities for cruising, fishing and canoeing • Winter season and products e.g. skiing, ice-skating, fishing

3. Strategies for development of target group orientated and quality infrastructure and products • Case study (Lehmonkärki) and it’s main conclusions • Preconditions of the ecological nature of tourism business in Finland are good • Realizing ecologically efficient business companies will be able to avoid large investments  To larger investments companies need for support from the society • In the company studied, there were good experiences as comes to utilization of lake heating and solar energy, waste water systems and food produced close by. • Attitude of the company towards environmental friendliness and internalisation of its significance is important • It is very important that joint views regarding creation of an image for lake Päijänne and in all questions regarding the water system are found

4. Development of the tourism season is important and commercialisation of the winter season has been successful in studied enterprise. • There are plenty of possibilities to develop wintertime products and utilize lake Päijänne all year round • In the case of Lehmonkärki, the most important challenge for business operations are the high changes in volume of demand. • There is clear need for further research and projects. An extensive image of the state of waterway tourism in Päijät-Häme should be gathered. The results would be an important starting point for various projects

5. Midnight Pike-Perch Summer Festival • Idea was to produce innovative and inviting tourism package around the fishing competition with side events • Products: accommodation services, pike-perch menus in restaurants, boat rental, sauna services, cruises, trips on islands, • Target groups: sportfishermen and their family members, inhabitants, boaters, tourists • Activities: village events, pike-perch recipe competition, nature trails, children’s angling competition, fishing information, canoeing guidance, environmental information, pike-perch seminar, fish and waterway exhibitions • Themes: pike-perch, fishing, environmental friendly tourism

6. Sing posting system • Information maps for watertourists in 6 harbours in Lake Vesijärvi and Päijänne • Introduces harbour services and sights • Information signs in fishing place Hammonjoki (River Hammo) • Quality of the services have been discussed in Conference and coming training day will focus on customership

7. Developing tools and methods to market the region within regional and interregional • www.lakepaijanne.com internet pages have been developed • The website introduces the tourism region of Päijänne with maps, pictures and event calendar • Route description, which contains information of the harbours and travel services of entire Päijänne Region • Information about 140 enterprises have added to the TravelNet system and route description • TravelNet system is a virtual market place • English version

15. WaterTour –project’s internet pages • Lahti Travel Ltd have developed their own webpages • International Conference • Marketing study about Water Tourism in Päijät-Häme Region: Products, Marketing and Distribution • Includes developing ideas  tool for tourism development • New project in Päijät-Häme "Inhappytants – Living countryside” will be studying the enterprises possibilities for joint marketing under the same brand (umbrella branding)

16. Watertourism brochure will be delivered in enclosed of the Lahti Travel’s ”Lahti Region Holiday” brochure • Lahti Region Holiday brochure, section ”Water Tourism” • Information on www.watertour.org, www.lakepaijanne.com, collection of activities connected with water tourism

17. Co-operations between communities and SME’s in watertourism • Lahti Regional Development Company Ltd (Lakes) is responsible for development ofthe tourism industry in Lahti Region. Municipalities of the Päijät-Häme are owners of the Company • Lahti Travel Ltd is a company specialising in sales and marketing of tourism services and tourist information in the Lahti region. The company is a subsidiary of the Lahti Regional Development Company Ltd. • Both companies have good contacts in enterpeneurs of the region • Regional working group meetings have got together active tourism actors and have enable interaction between them • A forum for tourism development

18. Co-operation and networking between enterprises is developing little by little e.g. by training days • Training for entrepreneurs • Themes: customership, economy, marketing • During designing the information maps for harbours harbour managers and officials have co-operated with entrepreneurs

19. Evaluation of the project results • Realisation of the project has been good. The project has been realised almost according to the plans • Project plan have been extensive containing various themes • For all objectives of the project have been tried to answer as good as possible • Know-how, experiences and best practises have been exchanged and shared in meetings, conferences and coming entrepreneur’s training • Tools and methods for marketing have been developed: internet pages, marketing study’s results, conference, coming brochure, mobile services have been presented • Information systems have been improved: Internet pages www.lakepaijanne.com

20. Sustainable tourism have been examined and presented in case study (Lehmonkärki) and summery of it have been delivered to entrepreneurs • Finland have been responsible for component 5 ”Developing tools and methods to market the regions…” • Finland have focus on that topic more than the other topics and implemented its objectives well • At the begin of the project would have been important to got more enterpises with the project activities • Co-operation and networking of the enterprises should be supported in the future • It would be important to create joint brand for the region • Päijänne Forum, Jykes Ltd and Lakes Ltd • There is clear need for the new development projects!