Kainuu – Arctic Lakeland
Tourism has a great significance to Kainuu’s economy. The development of the tourism industry is a vital factor for Kainuu and at the same time it presents great opportunities.
In 2018 tourism development in the Kainuu region was mainly positive. The total number of registered over- night stays was 953 969, which is 4.1 per cent more than in the previous year. Domestic overnights in- creased by 2.1% and foreign overnights by 23.4%. The biggest foreign groups were Russians (35 772 over- nights) followed by Chinese (18 235), French (8 463), Germans (7 765) and Ukrainians (5 085). The number of overnight stays increased in all the aforementioned groups, particularly in Chinese tourism. Positive de- velopment was seen also in passenger numbers at Kajaani Airport, which grew by 1.6 per cent in 2018.
A downside aspect of tourism development in 2018 was a slight decline in the average price of an overnight stay. In Kainuu region the average price per overnight stay at registered accommodation establishment was EUR 27.1. In the whole Finland, the average price of an overnight stay was EUR 56.1 in 2018. Another down- side aspect of tourism development in 2018 was a slight decrease in the number of Russian cross-border passengers at the Vartius border crossing point.
According to preliminary data for 2019, the number of domestic registered overnights in the Kainuu region increased by 3.6 per cent from January – July. Foreign overnight stays rose by 5.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2018. The greatest increase was in the number of nights spent by Germans (+ 1 053) and es- pecially Chinese (+ 6 728). On the other hand, the number of nights spent by Russians and French decreased (Russians – 2 111, French – 1 428). During January – July 2019, the total number of overnights (domestic + foreign) registered in the Kainuu region grew by 3.9 per cent.
In January-August 2019, the number of passengers at Kajaani Airport increased by 3.3 per cent. (source: Statistical Yearbook Of Tourism in Kainuu 2018, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, 2019)
Continuous development of tourism and tourism businesses
Kainuu has always made its living from the forest and the forest is part of our identity. The preconditions for nature tourism are excellent in Kainuu due to its low population density, advanced infrastructure, and geopolitical position. Kainuu, with its eight distinctive municipalities, is a colorful synthesis of pure nature, rich culture and history, a variety of activities, modern services and top expertise in various fields. The countryside and nature in its many varied forms offer a huge range of opportunities. We believe that there is plenty of unexplored potential in tourism in Kainuu region – also from the real estate perspective. Tourism real estate investment opportunities can be seen on Locations page.
In Finland, the economic and political significance of tourism for regional development has increased considerably in recent years. Large amounts of public money are being spent nowadays on the development of tourism in various regions of Finland. In its 2003 to 2020 development plan, Kainuu municipality office claims that in the travel sector its main target is to promote foreign tourism in the region. Focus points in this development program are nature-, sports- and welfare tourism. Also culture and event tourism are planned to be developed. This has encouraged Kainuu to engage in more long-term planning of marketing and implementing of further inputs.
