Duration: 2,5 years, 1.8.2015 - 31.12.2017 Budget: 6,4 Meur Financier: Interreg Nord, public sector, participant companies (90)

TARGETS Internationally renowned high standard unified Visit Arctic Europe travel destination. Strength crossborder cooperation between travel businesses in the VAE area. Region's tourism volume will increase, profitability and turnover of SMEs will grow International expertise will be further strengthened. Visit Arctic Europe area will be in future easily accessible. Internal accessibility is developed, travelling in the area easy for travelers. Visit Arctic Europe has got great publicity among the target market Touroperators. Interest towards area has increased. How many Tos has participate to VAE fams and salesworkshop? Company presentatives has meet each others several times in organised VAE events, Networking meetings, cluster meetings and salesworkshop. In these events they have get to know each others and build the trust for cooperation. VAE marketing activities has created new travelers flow to area and to VAE companies. We do not have figures of companies turnover development but estimation is that increased client flow has increase the companies turnover. Afterwards we get more information about lowseason sales figures which has important role on profitability. Especially small companies who has not have possibility to participate international salesworkshops has strengtht their expertise in co-operation with touroperators. According the feedback majority of companies has notice discussion with touroperator representative very valuable. During the project many new direct flight routes has established. VAE has been in several cases mover and first contact for flightcompanies. As new routes has not been crossborder ”triangle flights” in VAE area, project has not participate into marketing activities. In co-operation with Touroperators VAE has had keyrole to create new charter flight operations covering also lower seasons. E.g. VOIGT summer, Nordic winter and Kontiki reisen summer and winter charters. Internal accessibility is still challenge, in VAE project we have draw the status quo of current situation and demand from TO s and service providers point of view. In autumn 2017 project will open the discussion with Public transportation authoritie, aim is to find solutions how public bus transportation would serve better noticed demand.

Northern Lights Holidays Snelandia 3. Better connections make the destination and tourism products accessible for wider group of customers 2. Marketing increases volumes and therefore demand for mobility services 1. Attractive destination and tourism products enable successfull marketing

VISION 2025 Arctic Europe travel destination – The most well communicated, functioning and connecting transport system in the world connected well-working integrated system all modes in best use integrated ticketing & information/sales platform high service level hubs common knowledge & information on offers attractive for investors coherent and strong brand seamless travel leader in development & best example of cross-border tourism destination EMV-payment possible everywhere well-communicated

ISSUES IDENTIFIED

SERVICE LEVELS – CURRENT & DRAFT ON GOALS FOR MAIN CORRIDORS

Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

Cornerstones for tour operator cooperation Many tour operators would willingly use more local public transport connections instead of charters if only they were.. Reliable: no changes to published schedules/routes/departures/prices Predictable: ‘there will be a bus/ferry there also next year’ – guaranteed accessibility destinations Available: Route, schedule and price information available in appropriate format, route planner is not enough Integrated: No missed connections by 15 minutes or 3 hour waiting time in the middle of nowhere Tour operators start planning their products for the next season as early as 18 months before Knowing public transport services’ connections, schedules & prices 12 months in advance is crucial Tour operators most preferably would want to buy a voucher beforehand for their customers traveling by themselves

Severe lack of joint information and integration between services Existing transportation is for local needs and does not meet tourism demand Severe lack of joint information and integration between services Lack of cross-border, regional or even local cooperation A lot of potential small fixes to what already exists Packaging and creating high demand routes with local attractions Polarized demand, seeing it as potential to spread and lengthen high seasons

Steps for development – Straightforward fixes Enabling affordable cross-border car rental Legislation allowing renting on cross-border return trip Outlines for renting for different nationalities (eg. China) Initiatives for fixing missing cross-border links Allowing foreign buses to pick up passengers Enontekiö-Kautokeino Ivalo-Alta/Nordkapp Näätämö-Neiden Kilpisjärvi-Tromso Haparanda-Tornio – train connections Open data Creating a platform collecting real-time up-to-date data on public transport schedules for developers (SE, NO) Sharing data on incoming flight passengers for local transport companies Collecting and publishing data on passenger volumes Improving quality of information Map-based information on transport services Information 12 months in advance & different language versions Promoting and marketing services and connections potential and interesting especially for tourists Branding routes, making decision-making easier for travelers

COUNTRY SPECIFIC NOTES MOST IMPORTANT FIXES Ivalo-Kirkenes-Alta –triangle and cross-border connections & possibilities should be made clearer (Finnish operators – Norwegian operators – On-demand services) Enontekiö-Kautokeino connections are considered potential Tromso-Rovaniemi –corridor has high demand from tour operators Norway: Publishing timetables & prices earlier – Possibility to buy vouchers PRIORITY FIX OTHER GOAL Kittilä-Kiruna connections are considered potential Sweden: Publishing timetables & prices earlier – Possibility to buy vouchers COUNTRY SPECIFIC NOTES Finland: Connecting tourism centres (eg. Rovaniemi-Salla) to flights with direct connections Providing open data as early as possible and a common digital platform would fix issues regarding cross-border route planning Bodo-Arvidsjaur future potential Based on survey to tour operators, workshops with tour operators & workshop with Visit Arctic Europe tourism experts

Polarized demand between countries & seasons – cross-border cooperation as solution 7 Volume and share of county’s yearly overnight stays month by month in 2016 Seasonal high demand for charter bus services - from high demand to no demand operating the same fleet Seasonal and one-way demand for rental cars in the countries Seasonal peaks in public transport usage – building and extending user base challenging for operators and organizers without help from tourism industry Sources: Tilastokeskus via TAK (FI), Tillväxtverket (SE), Statistik sentralbyrå (NO)

Tourism for more sustainable funding of transport services 9 FINNMARK 1,8 million passengers, 55 % of which school trips Subsidy: 78 % TROMS 12 million passengers, 14 % of which school trips Subsidy: over 2/3 NORDLAND 8,2 million passengers, 54 % of which school trips LAPLAND 3 million bus passengers in subsidized transport, majority school trips 550 000 train passengers in 2010 Subsidy for buses: 60 % NORRBOTTEN 8,6 million bus passengers in subsidized transport 82 000 train passengers in subsidized transport Subsidy: 56 % Sources: regional publications

Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

LOOPS for different LENGHTS SEASONS ACTIVITIES Vaasa Umeå

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY Accessibility 7. Strategic political decisions should be made to support the key role of accessibility in land, sea and air by legislation, funding & actions in order to keep the ’tourism factory’ going and growing Marketing Product

Kiitos mielenkiinnostanne ! Thank you for your attention ! Takk for oppmerksomheten ! Tack för din uppmärksamhet ! Rauno.posio@lme.fi Aurora Watching