Collaboration sets the course for tourism development in Kuopio
A new tourism action programme is being developed for Kuopio to bring together the city, tourism businesses, and tourism development organisations around a shared vision for the future. The collaborative process aims to identify a common direction and the most important development measures needed to strengthen sustainable tourism growth, internationalisation, and the attractiveness of the region. The programme supports the implementation of the City of Kuopio Strategy.
Kuopio is home to strong tourism destinations, diverse services and events, and a wide range of ongoing development initiatives. The tourism action programme currently being prepared aims to create a shared understanding of where tourism development should be heading and what practical actions are required to achieve the desired outcomes.
Collaboration plays a central role in the process. Tourism growth is created through the joint efforts of businesses, the city, tourism destinations, and organisations involved in development, marketing, and sales. Shared priorities are needed to determine where resources should be focused, which initiatives should be advanced first, and how different stakeholders contribute to implementation.
“Tourism development is not the responsibility of any single organisation. It requires a shared commitment and a common direction among tourism stakeholders. Together, we can identify the most significant opportunities for growth and turn agreed priorities into concrete actions. The tourism action programme will help us define a shared goal and clarify the measures needed to achieve it,” says Anu Häiväläinen, Business Services Manager at Business Kuopio and the person responsible for the overall tourism action programme process.
First workshop brought stakeholders together around a shared vision
The preparation of the programme was launched with a joint workshop on 30 September 2026. Participants included tourism businesses from Kuopio and Tahko, representatives of tourism destinations, development and marketing organisations, and city leadership. The workshop focused on creating a shared vision for the future of tourism in Kuopio and identifying the factors that are most critical for growth.
“It is important that the city is involving such a broad range of stakeholders in the preparation of a shared tourism action programme. Tourism generates income and employment for the region, but its impact extends far beyond the tourism sector itself. Growth in tourism strengthens services, events, and experiences that also benefit local residents. This makes tourism development an important question of vitality, attractiveness, and competitiveness for the entire Kuopio region,” says Tiina Kanninen, Marketing Director at Kuopio-Tahko Markkinointi Oy.
The workshop highlighted several key development themes, including stronger leadership and clearer roles within tourism development, seamless visitor journeys and travel connections, more systematic development of international sales and tourism packages, and better utilisation of events as drivers of tourism demand.
Discussions also covered international growth opportunities, the development of air connections, public transport solutions, particularly connections to Tahko, product packaging, and the resources required for both development and sales activities.
Participants shared the view that successful tourism development requires a common vision, clearly defined roles, and coordinated leadership to ensure that development efforts move consistently towards shared goals.
Preparation continues through autumn workshops
The tourism action programme is being developed in three phases. The first workshop focused on defining the shared vision and identifying key development priorities. Between workshops, the material is analysed and refined so that each phase builds on the outcomes of the previous one.
The key development themes were identified during the first workshop, and the next phase will focus on practical implementation. The second workshop will take place on 28 October 2026 and will address the following question:
What is required in practice to achieve these priorities? What can and should the city enable? Which responsibilities belong to other stakeholders, and what initial actions are needed?
The third workshop will be held on 13 November 2026. During this phase, proposed actions will be prioritised and phased, and responsibilities for implementation will be further clarified. The aim is to move from identifying development needs to making realistic choices and committing to joint implementation.
The work is supported by interviews with tourism businesses and development organisations, background materials prepared by the city, strategic documents from key tourism stakeholders, and the results of ongoing surveys, studies, and development processes. This helps avoid overlapping information gathering and allows workshop discussions to focus on shared priorities and concrete actions.
The outcome of the process will be the Kuopio Tourism Action Programme, which combines a shared vision with concrete, prioritised, and phased measures for implementation.
More information
Anu Häiväläinen
anu.haivalainen@kuopio.fi
+358 44 718 2036
Marika Mesimäki
marika.mesimaki@mesimaki.fi
+358 41 454 1861
