Kuhmo: A Forerunner in Finnish Literary Tourism
Kuhmo is a small town located in the Kainuu region, close to the Russian border. Kainuu is the home of many famous Finnish writers, such as Eino Leino, Ilmari Kianto and Veikko Huovinen. However, Kainuu region is also the origin of Kalevala’s stories. Elias Lönnrot went to Kainuu collecting stories to Kalevala back in the 19th century. Due to this, Kuhmo has been developed as a literary tourism destination, and UNESCO Creative Cities Network declared it a City of Literature. But as sustainability and responsibility are becoming even more important in cultural tourism, where does Kuhmo stand with these practises? Continue reading to find out.
Sustainability And Responsibility in Kuhmo
The online pre-experience of Kuhmo’s sustainable and responsible literary tourism practises seems to have quite a strong start. The cities in UNESCO Creative Cities Network are following the sustainable development goals of United Nations 2030 Agenda. Also Kuhmo’s tourist information website seems to emphasize the untouched wilderness and preservation of culture, both which are important factors in sustainable and responsible tourism practises. And especially the Juminkeko cultural centre in Kuhmo is dedicated in nurturing Kalevala and the Viena Karelian culture, a part of Karelian culture which has been on unsteady grounds after Finland separated from the Soviet Union. Also the Wild Taiga website has a dedicated publication of all the sustainable practises and companies in the area. Quite a strong start for this topic I would say.
A Trip to Investigate
So it seems that Kuhmo as a literary tourism destination is quite a strong player on the sustainable tourism field. Or at least that’s what is seems like on the internet. However, a group of future’s tourism professionals are heading there next week to investigate whether the pre-experience meets the actual experience. What do you think, will Kuhmo meet the expectations?
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