Sustainability at Visit Tampere

Our approach

Courage

For us, courage means acting in line with our strategy in an open-minded, visionary and pioneering manner.

We’re not afraid to set the bar high. Our aim is to be one of the world’s leading providers of solutions to the climate and sustainability challenges facing the travel industry.

Pioneering spirit

Visit Tampere was awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) destination label in April 2025. The STF label provides an even stronger foundation for developing sustainable tourism in line with the objectives of Tampere’s tourism strategy and in collaboration with businesses.

Tampere has been selected as the European Capital of Smart Tourism for 2026. The title is awarded by the European Commission. It is granted to a city that demonstrates an exceptional commitment to the development of sustainable and innovative tourism.

Honesty

Tampere is the sauna capital of the world, and in the sauna we are all equal, honest and genuine. We want to keep this spirit at the heart of our sustainability work. Courage means having the confidence to make choices for the sake of the environment, even when it requires a bit more heat and a step in a new direction.

Tampere ranks among the world’s top six in a sustainable tourism comparison

Tampere ranked sixth in the overall comparison of the Global Destination Index (GDS) in 2025.

The GDS Index is a global benchmark that measures the sustainability of tourist destinations on an annual basis, taking into account environmental and social sustainability, the performance of tourism industry stakeholders, and the strategic leadership of cities. The index is used internationally as a tool for developing the tourism sector.

Together

Sustainable tourism is a team effort. Our work on sustainability is based on cooperation and working together.

Supporting our partners

We offer our partner network members practical tools, training, coaching, networking opportunities and events. Our aim is to support our partners in developing sustainable and profitable businesses.

When our partners succeed, the whole of Tampere benefits.

Visit Tampere as a place to work

Equality, respect and fairness form the foundation of everything we do. We make space for diverse voices within our workplace and ensure that everyone can be themselves and thrive.

Our office is located in the Frenckell Building, a historic property that has been renovated to high standards; it has received awards for its redevelopment work and its environmental credentials have been recognised through international environmental certifications.

We are also committed to fair employment practices, for example by offering paid internships.

You’ll have a great time here

In the KivaQ 2025 survey, we rated our satisfaction with our closest colleagues at 9.8 out of 10. This result reflects a strong sense of team spirit and shows that our day-to-day work takes place in a positive and supportive atmosphere, with us supporting one another.

Responsibly

We are developing tourism so that Tampere remains a pleasant and relaxed place to be, now and in the future. Responsible services are within easy reach and nature is close by, equally accessible to everyone. We help tourism businesses in our region to reduce their carbon footprint and, through our activities, support the City of Tampere on its journey towards climate neutrality.

Read more about Visit Tampere’s sustainability and environmental policy:

Developing sustainable tourism

We are working to develop sustainable tourism in the Tampere region in collaboration with businesses, the city administration and other stakeholders. The aim of our work is to steer the tourism sector towards more sustainable solutions and to strengthen the region’s competitiveness in the long term.

Everyday deeds

When making purchases, we first ask ourselves: “Is this necessary?”. We favour low-carbon and sustainable choices in both our food and materials, whilst keeping locality in mind.

We encourage visitors to travel and get around sustainably. We ourselves favour public transport whenever possible.

Tampere belongs to everyone

We take equality into account in all our development work. We promote accessible tourism by highlighting solutions and services that make exploring Tampere easy for everyone, starting with the accessible tram. We highlight accessible destinations and experiences ranging from local nature to culture, catering to different budgets.

We are part of the We Speak Gay community, and we have been recognised for promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion and LGBTQ+ tourism in Finland with the We Speak Gay Trailblazer Award.

Visiting national parks without a car

We recognised the challenge of accessibility in national parks and set out to develop a solution as part of the Sustainable Tourism Mobility project.

The project gave rise to Outdoor Express, a bus service that takes hikers directly from Tampere city centre to the national parks without the need for a car. This makes nature more accessible to an ever-growing number of people. The service has been recognised as a tourism innovation and is run in partnership with Ekokumppanit Oy.

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