DPT18 is going together to Kainuu Region for a study tour at the beginning of October !!! It’s amazing that after a long long time staying at home because of Covid-19 pandemic, our group finally has chance to go out for a practical project. Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in this tour, however, I’m really curious about this historical and cultural place and excited to discover more through pictures, videos, social media and especially from interesting stories unfolding. Before the study tour, we should get to know the destination a bit and I’d love to share my thought why Kainuu is potential destination for literary tourism.
Kainuu Region – Precious hidden gem
The Kainuu region is not very populated, but it’s quite dynamic and worth exploring. Tourism is considered as one of the main parts of economy in Kainuu, due to the fact that tourism in Kainuu ranks the third biggest in Finland. However, it comes very strange that Kainuu region is now not on top searches of Finland’s most visited attractions. Is it because the destination has not been marketed globally and efficiently? I wish to find out the reason during the study tour!
When doing some researches about the destination, I found out that the destination absolutely has potential to stand out among other region thanks to its versatile historical and cultural background. Kainuu is paradise for history lover to discover, from Stone Age to more recent history and also about many stories about people there. There are a diversity of literary tourism related attractions and activities that can be found all around the Kainuu Region, and the city of Kajaani, such as significant monuments : Kajaani Castle, museums : Riihipiha Museum, Kajaani Museum,… Moreover, despite its small size, Kajaani is the place of many interesting famous events all year around including Kajaani Poetry Week, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and many other sport competitions. For more interesting information about the region, please visit main website : VisitKajaani.
It is admitted that Kainuu Region has developed a wide range of literary tourism and has a potential to be expanded on a grand scale. However, the destination has not been marketed and branded efficiently and globally. There are still some pages in VisitKajaani website written only in Finnish, which is not really accessible and understandable for international tourists.
In the study tour, I wish to get deeper insights into tourism industry in the region. How tourism services is operated at the moment? For Kajaani region’s destination management organization, do they have long-term strategy to do marketing and branding for the region? If the tourist volume increases rapidly, what would the service providers do to accommodate unpredictable levels of demand? How different attractions and places in the region is cooperated to develop as a whole? Many questions came to my mind when searching about the destination and I wish to get answers for those questions during the study tour!
Now, it’s time to get packed and go for our study tour! Have fun learning together 😀