Sustainable Transition in Tourism

The Sustainable Transition of Tourism -project produces information on tourism sector in Southern Ostrobothnia region to support decision-making and increases companies' expertise in knowledge-based business management and sustainable and carbon-neutral tourism. The project also supports tourism operators and other stakeholders in knowledge-based tourism management and enhances sector’s carbon neutrality. The objective of the project is to start data gathering in accordance with the Development Plan for Knowledge-based Tourism Management in South Ostrobothnia (e.g. implement provincial tourism barometers for 2023, 2024 and 2025, tourist surveys for South Ostrobothnia for 2024 and 2025, and improve the regional accommodation statistics). In addition, the project will carry out an assessment of the regional economic impact of tourism by using the RegFin model (CGE). One aim of the project is also to gain an objective understanding of the carbon footprint and major emission sources of tourism sector at regional level, to assess the regional economic impacts of the green transition in the tourism sector and, based on these, to create a roadmap towards carbon-neutral tourism in South Ostrobothnia.
The project is implemented in cooperation between the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute and Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. Ruralia Institute is mainly responsible for regional economic calculations, carbon footprint calculations and the creation of a carbon-neutral roadmap. The project has been funded through the Just Transition Fund (JTF) in South Ostrobothnia and will run from 1.12.2023 to 30.6.2026.