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Sustainable Tourism Goals and Services for Partners

Nature, safety and sustainability are becoming the most important marketing assets in our region for both domestic and international tourists. Our partner network consists of various tourism operators. The most important tools are the cooperation of the partner network, the Sustainable Travel Finland programme and the Think Sustainably service.

Sustainable tourism development in our region is aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with specific focus on 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, 12. Responsible Consumption and Production and 13. Climate Action.

Key performance indicators of our sustainability work are:

Number of companies and organizations with the Sustainable Travel Finland label: 31

Check up to date development status and compare regions in the Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland Dashboard 

Number of companies and organizations fulfilling required Think Sustainably criteria: 56

In addition to this we are developing destination level carbon footprint monitoring with Visit Finland.

Visit Finland’s Matkailijamittari dashboard provides a view to tourism carbon footprint in Tampere and the Region.

Sustainable Travel Finland

Sustainable Travel Finland is a programme (site in Finnish) brings together various sustainability certificates and actions under a single, easily recognizable label for travelers, making sustainability visible and understandable. The STF label tells travelers that a company or destination is genuinely and continuously committed to sustainability. The aim is to promote sustainable tourism in Finland and strengthen Finland’s image as a sustainable travel destination.

Visit Tampere is the regional organization coordinating the STF program in Tampere and Pirkanmaa. We work with local municipalities to implement the program. Our goal is to get more and more internationally oriented tourism companies in our region involved and encourage them to apply for their own STF label. Tourism operators in Tampere and Pirkanmaa that have been awarded the label range from major attractions and hotels to small activity companies. Applying for the Sustainable Travel Finland label is free of charge and the program is open to all tourism companies. Sustainable development measures do not need to be in place at the application stage. The program offers a development path and concrete tools, such as training created for the program, an e-guide, and a digital work environment, which can be used to achieve the STF label.

Visit Tampere supports local companies in applying for the STF label by organizing training and offering guidance on applying for certificates and on the various steps of the Sustainable Travel Finland development path. In addition, we offer a discount on the membership fee for the Visit Tampere partnership network to those who have been awarded the label. For more information, see the regional Regional Development Plan For Sustainable Tourism

Apply now and let’s work together to make Pirkanmaa a leading destination for sustainable tourism!

Visit Tampere was awarded the STF destination label in April 2025. This gives us an even stronger foundation for developing sustainable tourism in the region, together with businesses and in line with the objectives of Tampere’s new tourism strategy.

 

 

Regional development plan for sustainable tourism

A development plan is an important tool for promoting sustainable tourism in a tourist destination. It assesses the current situation, defines a common vision and objectives, and plans concrete measures and resources to achieve them. It serves as a concrete action plan based on the Tampere Tourism Strategy, with the aim of promoting sustainable, responsible and smart tourism in Tampere.

The plan focuses in particular on promoting Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) and supporting the city’s climate objectives. It covers, among other things, stakeholder cooperation, responsible service chains, climate action, visitor experience, economic impacts, communication and skills development.

Check out Visit Tampere’s Regional Development Plan For Sustainable Tourism

You can find the Action Plan of the Regional Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism here.

 

Think Sustainably Service

Think Sustainably service is a service coordinated by Visit Tampere, the aim of which is to highlight responsible companies and actors and help customers make more responsible choices.

The service is based on criteria tailored to Tampere and it has been developed in cooperation with the thinktank Demos Helsinki, Helsinki Marketing and local experts and stakeholders. Elements of the criteria include energy, food and service, and social sustainability. The criteria require companies to evaluate their operations, act more responsibly and present their responsible actions.

The service is suitable for companies of different sizes and different industries, and participation is free for companies. We have currently 71 companies participating in the programme.

The service focuses on concrete actions and trust and does not require certifications or audits. The service is based on criteria developed for six industries. Industries include events, venues, sights, accommodation, shops, restaurants, and cafés and bars. Each category defines a minimum number of criteria that a company must meet in order to be eligible. The criteria are presented below.

Join the Think Sustainably Service here

Think Sustainably Service Criteria for Companies

Sights

A sustainable destination pays attention to energy consumption and waste reduction. Serving and accessibility are also crucial.

Shops

The use of recycled materials and the provision of used products are ways to reduce the carbon footprint. A sustainable production chain takes into account the product life cycle from beginning to end.

Accommodation

In addition to taking energy and water consumption into account, sustainable accommodation includes plant-based food and the promotion of eco-labeled products.

Restaurants, cafes and bars

In the restaurant industry, the carbon footprint is affected by the vegetable content it offers and the reduction of food waste. Local food and the reduction of packaging waste also support sustainable development.

Events

A sustainable event is unhindered and achievable. Environmental friendliness is taken into account in recycling and energy saving, as well as by encouraging guests to use public transport.

Venues

Energy consumption, the promotion of renewable energy and the consideration of responsibility in catering and materials play a key role in the sustainability of event venues.

 

A company that meets a sufficient number of criteria will be marked with a red heart label.

The companies that have received the label will appear as their own listing both on the Visit Tampere website and in the Tampere.Finland application.

Check out the criteria, contact Visit Tampere if you have any questions regarding the service, and register your organisation.

Certificates and Environmental Programmes

Building a sustainability certificate or environmental programme is a good tool for developing your own business and improving quality. There are several options available, with costs ranging from a few hundred euros to several thousand. Likewise, the amount of work they require varies depending on the size of the company, the type of business and their own goals.

Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland programme requires a certificate audited by an external operator. We will be happy to provide more information and together we can think of the most suitable certificate for your company. Visit Tampere selected Ekokompassi for the certification of its own operations, which we introduced in November 2020. It helps us to develop our own operations and sustainable tourism with our stakeholders. In addition, it also gives us expertise to help our partner network apply for certificates.

Training and Events

Visit Tampere organizes various sustainability training and events for its partner companies, with the aim of supporting them in promoting sustainable tourism. The trainings provide practical tools and knowledge for developing sustainability as part of their business operations. The trainings aim to cover a wide range of sustainability topics — from environmental to social and cultural sustainability, including equality, accessibility, and diversity in tourism development. Companies are also encouraged to suggest training themes or request specific content based on their needs.

Check out the sustainability trainings and events organised by Visit Tampere

Coming 2025:

To be updated when trainings are organised.

 

Past 2025:

Simppeli Sertifiointi! Clinic on Tuesday, May 13, from 9 AM to 3 PM

This clinic will provide a comprehensive introduction to certifications suitable for tourism businesses. You will get a clear overview of the different options, choose the most suitable one for your company and start the application process right away during the coaching. You will also work on the documentation supporting the certification under the guidance of an expert. Lunch and afternoon coffee will be provided for participants.

Kehittämissuunnitelma kuntoon! Clinic on Tuesday, April 15, from 9 AM to 4 PM

In this workshop you will build your business development plan in a guided way. During the training you will learn about the structure and content of the development plan and work on your own plan step by step with the support of an expert. As a result, you will have a clear framework for your business development, objectives and accountability measures. Participants will be offered lunch and afternoon coffee.

Kickoff for Sustainable Tourism, March 28, from 10 AM to 12 PM

9.00-10.00 Opening remarks
– Latest news on sustainable tourism and events – Visit Tampere and Tampere City Event Services
– Climate Neutral Destinations – Baltic Sea Region cooperation for climate smart tourism – Annika Koskenkorva, Project Manager, Visit Tampere
– Matkapojat, sustainability developments steps – Sales Manager Mari Airaksinen

10.00-12.00 Launch of the Sustainable Travel Finland programme – coach Juho Ikonen, Doama Solutions Oy

Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism

Leading tourism operators and cities are working together to accelerate the transition towards climate-resilient tourism. They want to lead the way and act as trendsetters for the whole industry, nationally and internationally. The group’s work is based on the international Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, led by the UN.

Read more about Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism

Carbon Neutral Tourism Destination

The goal of the Sustainable Tourism Roadmap compiled by Visit Tampere during the summer and autumn of 2021 is to make the Tampere region a carbon-neutral tourism destination by 2030. The roadmap is part of coordinating and implementing Visit Finland’s nationwide Sustainable Travel Finland programme in our destination.

In 2022 Visit Tampere signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism together with Visit Finland and 60 other organization in Finland. Visit Tampere aims to work actively to accelerate green transition and climate neutral tourism as part of the international Glasgow Declaration network and in close collaboration with Visit Finland.

You can check out our Action Plan for Glasgow Declaration and destination climate work here:
Visit Tampere Climate Action Plan 2024 – 2025

You can find clear steps for your company’s climate work in the handbook compiled for tourism businesses as part of the Carbon Neutral Experiences project.

The Biggest Sustainability Challenge for Tourism

The goal and roadmap have been prepared to guide, above all, the development of Visit Tampere’s tourism in Tampere and the region. The ambitious goal is to make Tampere one of the pioneers of internationally sustainable tourism.

The aim of the roadmap is to identify the biggest sustainability challenges in the tourism industry in the Tampere Region and to set a common long-term goal to meet them. Clear delineation of the goal and prioritization of development themes is paramount for allocating resources. The roadmap outlines development paths and information management principles for monitoring progress.

Cooperation Is the Key to Success

With the help of the roadmap, we will build a multidisciplinary region to engage companies, the public sector, educational institutions and development organizations behind the goal and to promote cooperation in its pursuit.

The most important basis for setting a 2030 carbon-neutral tourism destination is the tourism companies’ own carbon-neutral targets – the development of the destination must support them and strengthen cooperation between actors. The carbon neutrality targets for Tampere and its region as a basis for work in the tourism sector. It enables diverse cooperation between companies and the public sector.

We provide companies with tools for setting and monitoring their low carbon targets. One of the most important is the open source carbon footprint calculator developed in collaboration with Visit Finland.

Meeting Future Demand and Customer Expectations

By striving for carbon neutrality in tourism throughout the region, we aim to meet future customer demand and enable tourists to make a sustainable visit to Tampere and the region. Above all, we want to be a leader in sustainable tourism and seek solutions to the challenges of the industry as part of a national and international network. The roadmap focuses on the tourism sector but is also more applicable to the event industry and the experience economy.

Have a look at the Carbon neutral tourism destination 2030 regional roadmap

Carbon Footprint of Visit Tampere

The emission factors have been sourced from Visit Finland’s Hiilikuri calculator and are mostly euro-based, which significantly increases the share of purchased services in our total emissions. A considerable portion of these purchases consists of intangible expert work, whose actual carbon footprint is difficult to assess precisely. Premises and administration cover the basic operational expenses of Visit Tampere, ranging from electricity consumption to leasing services and similar costs. As part of our Ecocompass certification we’ve set the goal of lowering our carbon footprint for work related transport, developing guidelines for sustainable purchases and enhancing carbon efficiency of our operations.

Developing Sustainable Mobility in Tourism

Mobility is an essential part of tourism. Sustainable and smooth mobility solutions improve the tourist experience and increase the attractiveness of Tampere. This development requires public-private cooperation, with Visit Tampere acting as coordinator and project manager.

Strategy: accessible and inclusive Tampere

Tampere’s Tourism Strategy 2025-2030 includes sustainable mobility as a priority. The aim is to create a city that is accessible, safe and easy to reach. The focus is on developing rail transport, streamlining travel chains and climate-friendly mobility solutions.

Projects and experiments to support development

The EU-funded Sustainable Tourism Mobility project has laid the foundations for the development of sustainable mobility. The project produced a regional Sustainable Tourism Mobility Action Plan.

Click here to view the regional plan.

The project implemented several service experiments, such as:

Bike & Boat: a ticket product combining cycling and boat travel

Bike & Rail: commuter trains + urban bikes

E-Car Adventures: electric car rental for tourists

Outdoor Express: award-winning shuttle bus to national parks

The aim is to combine different modes of transport into seamless and digitally accessible travel chains.

Cooperation and follow-up

The measures in the Action Plan for Sustainable Tourism Mobility have also been included in the city’s Climate Roadmap. Priorities include the use of rail links and commuter trains, making public transport services more accessible to tourists in cooperation with Nysse, promoting electric and self-mobility, and developing the measurement of the carbon footprint of tourism mobility.

In 2024, Tampere joined the TAAS – Tourism as a Service project, which will bring additional resources to the strategic objectives. Key partners include the city, Nysse, VR, Matkahuolto, EcoFellows Ltd and the university.

Global Destination Sustainability Index

Tampere is committed to promoting sustainable tourism, and as part of this effort, the city participates in the international Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). The GDS-Index is a globally recognized benchmarking tool used to measure and improve the sustainability performance of destinations across four key categories, using more than 70 indicators. These categories are environmental performance, social responsibility, supplier engagement, and destination management. The index supports destinations in developing responsible tourism and event activities.

In 2024, Tampere ranked third in the Environmental category, which assesses cities’ environmental sustainability efforts. In the overall comparison, Tampere rose two positions to become the 23rd most sustainable destination in the world. This result reflects the city’s strong commitment and continuous progress in advancing sustainable tourism.

Matti Pollari

Development Manager, Sustainable Tourism

Working on carbon neutral tourism development, sustainable mobility, lake and nature tourism and coordinating Sustainable Travel Finland destination programme in Tampere and its region. Cycling travel and Pispala dear to my heart.