According to Finnish national tourism office, Visit Finland, climate change and the global pandemic have highlighted the urgent need for holistic, sustainable travel practices to be implemented in order for the travel industry to survive.

Reindeer (Visit Finland), Sled dogs (Elina Sirparanta), Helsinki (Judy Barford), Northern lights (Miikka Niemi). Lapland photos supplied by Visit Finland.

Finland is a small country on the global scale, yet it is among the top 10 sustainable countries in the world ranked by the Environmental Performance Index. Almost 80 per cent of Finland's land area is covered by forest, it has the richest freshwater resources in the EU in a total of 188,000 lakes and, it claims, the cleanest air in the world.

Finns are the happiest people in the world according to the World Happiness Reports from 2018, 2019 and 2020. From personal experience I can add that they are courteous, friendly without being intrusive and ever so helpful – in short, the perfect hosts. Finland is committed to becoming the first carbon-neutral welfare state by 2035. Its travel industry and the country as a whole rely entirely on the changing seasons and a lifestyle close to nature. 

Going the right way? (Mika Korhonen, Unsplash)

Posio – the hidden gem of Finnish Lapland

Posio is a small nature-loving community with a population of a little more than 3,000 inhabitants in Lapland. It is the first travel destination to be awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland label and it can also be found on the global 2020 Sustainable Destinations Top 100 list organised by the global Green Destinations foundation and its partners.

In Posio enchanting landscapes inspire travellers to rediscover the essentials. The national parks of Riisitunturi and Syöte, Korouoma canyon, Lake Livojärvi, "the riviera of Lapland" and Pentik-mäki cultural centre create unique surroundings for nature and culture travel.

"Posio is characterised as the hidden gem of Finnish Lapland," said Posio Travel managing director, Marja Hannula. "Local companies have actively nurtured sustainability in their operations for years, but as a result of the STF program, they have adopted new measures to conserve energy and water and they have increased the use of local food." 

Posio in Finnish Lapland (Harri Torvainen, Visit Finland)

The STF program

The STF initiative focuses on all four dimensions of sustainability: economic, ecological, social and cultural. The label is awarded only to companies and destinations that have undergone the entire STF program and fulfilled the 7-step criteria including commitment to national sustainable tourism principles and drawing up a sustainable tourism development plan with short and long terms goals.

"While Finland is considered a sustainable country, thus far there has been no way of identifying a tourism provider that is committed to sustainable development," said Liisa Kokkarinen, manager for sustainable development at Visit Finland. "By choosing an STF-labelled experience, travellers can support local tourism efforts towards sustainability and ensure that their journeys have a positive impact on the local culture and economy, while minimising negative impacts on the environment."

The popularity of the STF program has been overwhelming and exceeded all expectations Visit Finland set prior to the pandemic. More than 500 companies and destinations have already applied to be a part of the program. So far, 57 companies and one destination have completed the journey and have been awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland label.

Kokkarinen said that tourism in Finland was growing rapidly and steadily before COVID-19. "The pandemic has given us the time to build our readiness and once travel can begin again, we should be able to welcome our international guests to a Finland that is stronger, resilient and sustainable. Travellers looking for responsible ways to experience the peace, quiet and purity of nature and authentic local culture, and to feel safe and find a sense of space, need look no farther than Finland," she said. 

Brown bear can be found all over Finland (Mattieu Ever, Visit Finland)

Getting there

At the time of writing Finland was permitting entry for leisure travel to residents of Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and the Vatican, without the need for testing or quarantine. Residents of other countries and territories should check for conditions.

Useful links

​
visitfinland.com/sustainable-finland/sustainable-travel-destinations