In recent years, Ruka-Kuusamo region has invested time and effort in the improvement of air connections, and in increasing cooperation between tour operators and influencers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, summer tourism has shown a favourable trend in the region, but mainly only among domestic customers. The proportion of international customers in summer tourism is still small. The other Nordic countries have clearly succeeded better than Finland in the marketing of the summer season, and in reaching international customers. Therefore, in order to promote the internationalization of summer tourism, it is necessary to study and compare summer tourism in selected Nordic destinations.

According to the renewed tourism strategy of Ruka-Kuusamo Tourist Association, the goal is to be the best holiday destination for families in all seasons. Therefore, the project will conduct a customer target group survey related to international family traveller target groups. The aim of the project is also to expand the region’s visibility by utilizing different types of social media content, and to put the tools of knowledge-based management into practice.

The implementation period of the project is 1 September 2022 – 31 August 2023, and its total budget is €229,452. The project funding is divided into three parts: the funding granted by the Council of Oulu Region from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state is 70%, the share from the region’s municipalities is 22.12%, and private funding covers 7.88%. The principal actor of the project is Naturpolis Oy Nordic Business Center (Kuusamo and Taivalkoski), and the private funder is Ruka-Kuusamo Tourist Association.