Outdoor Express awarded as Tourism Innovation of the Year at the Finnish Travel Gala

Outdoor Express is a joint initiative by EcoFellows and Visit Tampere, providing an eco-friendly and convenient way to explore national parks without a private car. During the summer season, the buses departing from Tampere take visitors directly to the national parks of Seitseminen, Helvetinjärvi, and Isojärvi, offering unique nature experiences through both day trips and overnight stay options. This year, the service season was extended to run from May until early September, and over 2,000 tickets were sold.

“People have embraced Outdoor Express wonderfully,” says Pyry Rinkinen, project manager at Ekokumppanit. “In particular, customers without cars have expressed great appreciation for the service, which finally allows them access to destinations that were previously challenging to reach.”

Matti Pollari, Visit Tampere’s Sustainable Tourism Development Manager, assures that Outdoor Express will continue to transport visitors to national parks next year.

“This innovation award is a fantastic acknowledgment of our quality work and motivates us to keep developing Outdoor Express further. Next year, we plan to run national park transports from early June to late September, improve the customer experience and travel chains, and potentially test a new destination.”

Jari Ahjoharju, CEO of Visit Tampere, notes how Outdoor Express has enhanced the accessibility of national parks:

“We are sincerely grateful for this award. Our long-term efforts are paying off, and this service, initially a pilot project, has now become a staple in Tampere’s offerings. It’s exciting to see the positive results of a project that began just a few years ago. We are also thrilled that the concept will expand next year to the Jyväskylä region. Outdoor Express has sparked interest among Visit Tampere’s international partners as well.”

Outdoor Express has partnered with Matkahuolto, Metsähallitus’ Nature Services, the City of Tampere, the City of Ylöjärvi, and the Municipality of Ruovesi, with transportation provided by Atro Vuolle. Next summer, Outdoor Express will expand to Central Finland in collaboration with Visit Jyväskylä Region.