Local Cul­tu­ral He­ri­ta­ge

UTILISATION OF LOCAL CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE SERVICES AND PRODUCTS OF RURAL TOURISM ENTERPRISES

There is growing interest in local cultural heritage and the experiential products and services drawn from it. People are increasingly attracted by alternative tourism. Instead of mass tourism, we can promote individual, spontaneous and silent tourism in the countryside. The productisation and touristic utilisation of cultural history strengthen regional economies and yield additional value to tourism businesses.

This research project focuses on analysing ten Finnish rural tourism enterprises that have found particularly creative and innovative ways to utilise local cultural heritage in their products and services while following principles of cultural and economic sustainability. Based on this data, viable operating models will be constructed and offered to tourism entrepreneurs as good examples – not to be copied but to be used as platforms for entrepreneurs’ originality and particularity.

Financier: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö.

Researcher: Kari Ilmonen