Spirit of Inari 2024 - The Future of Regenerative Tourism

Welcome to the Spirit of Inari 2024 tourism seminar! The 6th international tourism seminar will be held in Sajos, Inari, on October 31, 2024. Sign up for the seminar, evening event and shared transportation.

Program 

Speakers

The aim of the seminar is to create a common will on how to promote socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and regenerative tourism in the region and to give the participants new ideas about how tourism can support the well-being of our local community. In addition to current program content, the seminar offers an opportunity to share good practices and network.

The seminar will be hosted by Kimmo Ohtonen, a journalist, writer and entrepreneur specializing in nature-related themes, who has made numerous nature programs, e.g. for YLE. The Music is performed by a yoik singer Ante Aikio and rap artist Ailu Valle (in the evening). 

The seminar features domestic and international speakers who are responsible tourism pioneers, developers, entrepreneurs and researchers. Keynote speaker Tina O´Dwyer is a popular consultant and developer of responsible tourism and an experienced TV presenter from Ireland, who has a long personal experience in tourism. O´Dwyer is the CEO of The Tourism Space company, who speaks enthusiastically about the new direction of tourism development.

Kelsey Johansen, Visiting Professor of Tourism Studies at the University of Eastern Finland, explains in the light of Canadian examples how tourism can promote the social well-being of the entire community and generate value for the community. Annu Huotari, who was crowned Visit Finland's first sustainability ambassador at the end of 2023, tells about the sustainability work of her company Hawkhill in Nuuksio. The theme of the panel discussion is the sustainable future of responsible tourism and how tourism can better support the well-being of the local community.

The seminar is free of charge but lunch and dinner are self-paid. The seminar starts after self-organised lunch. Dinner and networking event will be organized at Wilderness Hotel Inari. 

The municipality of Inari organizes a bus shuttle from Ivalo to Sajos before the seminar (departure at 10:15 a.m.) and a return shuttle from Wilderness Hotel Inari to Ivalo at the end of the evening event (at 10 p.m.). Please note that parking places are limited at Sajos parking area. 

The presentations of the seminar will be streamed, but participation is only possible on site in Sajos. The seminar is held in English. The presentations are simultaneously interpreted into Finnish. The seminar brings together actors from tourism and related fields, also across national borders. It is hoped that the event will be widely attended by Lapland's business community. 

The seminar is arranged by Business and Development Services of Inari Municipality in co-operation with Lapland North Destinations. More info: yrityspalvelut@inari.fi and marianne.maki@inari.fi