Spirit of Inari 2025

The Municipality of Inari, in cooperation with Lapland North Destinations Ltd, will host the seventh Spirit of Inari 2025 tourism seminar at Sajos in Inari. The seminar is free of charge. Register before 15th October 2025 at 10 am. Networking dinner is limited to 120 participants.

Program

The theme of the seminar is Regenerative Tourism in Inari. The presentations will cover topics such as tourism planning and architecture, the results of a local resident survey on tourism, and the development of the local tourism business ecosystem.

Keynote speaker Anna Pollock Founder of Conscious Travel, has 52 years’ experience in tourism as an international speaker, independent consultant, and a curious-creative visionary researcher & strategist. Over the past 15 years she has become an acclaimed, pioneering thought leader in application of regenerative thinking to tourism. Anna founded Conscious Travel as an alternative model to mass tourism. Her mission is to support businesses that offer responsible, authentic, and well-designed experiences for their guests and are willing to take an active role as changemakers within their communities. Anna is speaking of regenerative tourism in theory and practice.

We will explore future trends in tourism, what makes Finland and Inari stand out in the competitive landscape, and take a closer look at the current state of tourism in our region. Speakers include Liisa Kokkarinen from Visit Finland and Hanna Kouri from Lapland North Destinations Ltd.

We’ll hear the business stories of Travel Utsjoki and Arctic Sky—what kind of authentic experiences their companies offer to customers all year round.

The afternoon continues with the theme of tourism planning and construction. Architect Eveliina Sarapää (SAFA) will open the discussion with a talk on architecture in Samí homelands. Kimmo Ohtonen will then moderate a discussion with Reetta-Mari Tammela, Technical Director of the Municipality of Inari, Olli Lipponen from Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest Administration), Jouko Lappalainen from Wilderness hotels & safaris and Nina Aarras from Sweco. Topics will include how sustainable development, the circular economy, and local traditions are integrated into tourism infrastructure, and how planning and construction are guided in the tourism sector.

Another theme in the afternoon is the social acceptability of tourism. Miikka Raulo will present the results of a resident survey conducted by Flowhouse & Salmi Platform on how tourism affects local residents. Salla Jutila from the University of Lapland will provide commentary on the findings.

The afternoon will conclude with a panel discussion on developing the tourism business ecosystem in Inari. The panel will explore how entrepreneurs from various sectors can collaboratively build a regenerative tourism ecosystem, what kinds of cooperation opportunities exist between small and large businesses, how creative industries, handicrafts, and natural product sectors are involved in tourism, and what new services are needed in the region.

Panelists include:

My Manner, Hotel Director, Santas Hotel Tunturi
Aleksi Taipale, Entrepreneur, Arctic Stargazing Tours
Aki Karvonen, Entrepreneur, iKi-food
Jaana Seipiharju, Chair of the Vitality Committee, Municipality of Inari
Tuomas Aslak Juuso Vice-Chair of the Sámi Parliament

Artisan Market

In connection with the seminar, we are organizing an Artisan Market at Sajos, where artisans, as well as entrepreneurs from the wellness and natural product sectors, will showcase their products and services. Come network and create new partnerships! We aim to strengthen the collaboration between tourism and other local industries as part of the tourism ecosystem approach.

If you would like to have your own presentation stand at the Artisan Market, please contact: jonna.ylimaunu@inari.fi or yrityspalvelut@inari.fi, and we will provide further guidance. Presentation and sales tables are free of charge for entrepreneurs!