The Multidimensional Tourism Institute of the University of Lapland has started a project, in which thorough background research will be completed before making certification criteria to help recognize holistically sustainable Saami tourism businesses in Finland. The project is funded by Lapland ELY Centre and executed in co-operation with the Saami Parliament of Finland.
Saami culture along with Arctic nature are significant attractions in the Finnish Saami home area and other parts of Lapland.
– Visitors and tour operators are increasingly demanding authenticity, responsibility and sustainability. However, it’s difficult for them to recognise which companies are authentic, responsible and holistically sustainable Saami owned companies, explain Senior Lecturer Monika Lüthje and Project Planner Kaisu Nikula, who has been a Saami tourism entrepreneur for over twenty years.
Certificate for Saami tourism companies
This aim of the new project is to expand on previous background work concerning Saami tourism, conducted by the Saami Parliament of Finland.
– The certificate for Saami tourism companies is intended to help tourists and tour operators make informed decisions, whilst improving the accessibility and competitiveness of Saami companies. Concurrently we can support the vitality and autonomous development of Saami culture.
The purpose of the project is to research and analyse background information, for example by mapping already existing similar criteria among indigenous peoples in different countries. The goal is to enable the Saami Parliament to access all the necessary information and establish their own certification criteria. The Saami entrepreneurs will have a chance to review the information gathered and have their opinions heard. The project will also produce a preliminary draft of Saami tourism criteria, an application form and guidelines for the Saami Parliament to finalise.
