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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. ISSUES IDENTIFIED

6. SERVICE LEVELS – CURRENT & DRAFT ON GOALS FOR MAIN CORRIDORS

7. Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Polarized demand between countries & seasons – cross-border cooperation as solution7
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)

13. Tourism for more sustainable funding of transport services9
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
train passengers in 2010
Subsidy for buses: 60 %
NORRBOTTEN
8,6 million bus passengers in subsidized transport
train passengers in subsidized transport
Subsidy: 56 %
Sources: regional publications

14. Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

15. Survey for agencies operating in the area 2016-2017

16. LOOPS for different LENGHTS SEASONS ACTIVITIES
Vaasa
Umeå

17. 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

18. Kiitos mielenkiinnostanne ! Thank you for your attention !
Takk for oppmerksomheten ! Tack för din uppmärksamhet !
Aurora Watching