The importance of sustainable tourism and our services for our partners
Nature, safety and sustainability are key marketing assets in our region, both for domestic and international tourists. According to Booking.com’s ‘Travel & Sustainability 2026’ report, the importance of sustainability is constantly rising in customers’ expectations. We want to help our partners and the region’s tourism sector meet these expectations. The most important tools for this are the Sustainable Travel Finland programme, project funding and active collaboration.
Objectives and monitoring
Our work on responsible tourism is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Of these, we will focus in particular on the following:
10. Reducing inequalities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
17. Partnerships for the goals
Our key performance indicator for the development of sustainable tourism is Tampere’s ranking and overall score in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.
- In 2025, Tampere came sixth in the overall GDS ranking.
More detailed indicators and targets have been set out in the Regional Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism, and progress towards them is monitored regularly in the Annual Report on Sustainable Tourism.
In addition, a significant indicator of regional development is the number of companies that have been awarded the STF mark.
- There are 36 companies and organisations that have been awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland label in the Pirkanmaa Region.
You can follow the status of the STF programme nationwide and in the Pirkanmaa Region via the summary provided by Visit Finland here. In addition, border survey, “Matkailijamittari“ provides an overview of the carbon footprint of tourism at regional level.
Tools for companies’ sustainability work
Click here to open the tools
Sustainability Plan Template (in Finnish)
- Visit Finland’s Carbon Footprint Calculator for businesses (in Finnish)
- The Sustainable Travel Finland programme
- The Carbon Neutrality Handbook for Tourism Businesses, compiled by the Carbon Neutral Experiences project (in Finnish)
- Certifications and environmental programmes: Developing a sustainability certification or environmental programme is a useful tool for developing your business and improving quality. There are several options available, with costs ranging from a few hundred euros to several thousand. Similarly, the amount of work required varies depending on the size of the company, the type of business and your own objectives.
Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland programme requires companies to hold a certificate audited by an external party. You can find a list of certificates eligible for the programme on the Visit Finland website. We’d be happy to provide further information and can work with you to identify the certificate best suited to your company.
Visit Tampere chose Ekokompassi to certify its own operations, and we received it in November 2020. It helps us to develop our own operations and responsible tourism in collaboration with our stakeholders. It also provides us with the expertise to assist our partner network in applying for and building certifications.
In addition, we are collaborating with Visit Finland to promote the measurement of sustainable tourism and are actively seeking project funding to secure additional resources. Through these projects, we also aim to develop services that enhance the potential for sustainable tourism in our region, such as transport service concepts.
The Sustainable Travel Finland programme
Sustainable Travel Finland brings together various sustainability certifications and initiatives under a single label that is easily recognisable to travellers, making sustainability visible and understandable. The STF label tells travellers that a company or destination is genuinely and consistently committed to sustainability. The aim is to promote sustainable tourism in Finland and reinforce the image of Finland as a destination for sustainable tourism.
Visit Tampere acts as the regional organisation coordinating the STF programme in Tampere and Pirkanmaa. We work in partnership with the region’s local authorities to implement the programme. Our aim is to involve more and more tourism businesses from our region that are focused on international markets – and to 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 to hotels and small activity providers.
Applying for the Sustainable Travel Finland label is free of charge, and the programme is open to all tourism businesses. It is not necessary to have implemented sustainability measures at the application stage. The programme offers a development pathway and practical tools, such as training courses designed for the programme, an e-guide and a digital working environment, which help businesses to achieve the STF label.
Visit Tampere supports local businesses in the process of applying for the STF label by organising training sessions and offering advice on applying for certificates and on the various stages of the Sustainable Travel Finland development pathway.
We also offer a discount on the membership fee for the Visit Tampere partnership network to those who have been awarded the label. See the Regional Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism for further details.
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 on which to develop sustainable tourism in the region, in collaboration with businesses and in line with the objectives of Tampere’s new tourism strategy.
Sustainable tourism development plan
A development plan is an important tool for promoting sustainable tourism in a destination. The plan is used to assess the current situation, define a shared vision and objectives, and plan concrete measures and resources to implement them. It serves as a concrete action plan based on Tampere’s tourism strategy, with the aim of promoting sustainable, responsible and smart tourism in Tampere.
The plan focuses in particular on promoting the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) programme and supporting the city’s climate targets. It covers, amongst other things, stakeholder collaboration, responsible service chains, climate action, the visitor experience, economic impacts, and the development of communication and expertise.
The action plan of the regional development plan for sustainable tourism is an annex that is updated annually and sets out, amongst other things, the timetable for the measures and the parties responsible.
Regional Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism
Action Plan (Regional Development Plan for Sustainable Tourism)
Find out about the measures taken during 2025, any changes made and the key achievements that support the regional development of sustainable tourism:
Annual Report on Sustainable Tourism
Training sessions and events
Visit Tampere organises a range of sustainability training courses and events for its partner companies, with the aim of supporting them in promoting sustainable tourism. The training sessions provide practical tools and information for developing sustainability as part of business operations. The aim is to organise a wide range of training sessions covering different aspects of sustainability – in addition to the environment, social and cultural sustainability are also taken into account, such as equality, accessibility and diversity in the development of tourism. Companies can also suggest training topics themselves or request specific content tailored to their needs.
Climate action in tourism
The Sustainable Tourism Roadmap, drawn up under the leadership of Visit Tampere during the summer and autumn of 2021, aims to make the Tampere region a carbon-neutral tourism destination by 2030. The roadmap forms part of the regional implementation of Visit Finland’s national Sustainable Travel Finland programme, which is coordinated by Visit Tampere.
In the summer of 2022, Visit Tampere, together with 60 other Finnish organisations, signed the tourism sector’s Glasgow Declaration , a climate commitment for the tourism sector that accelerates international cooperation and measures to achieve carbon-neutral tourism. Visit Tampere aims to be an active promoter of climate solutions as part of the Glasgow Declaration network, in collaboration with Visit Finland.
The Glasgow Declaration requires signatories to draw up or update a climate plan each year. The plan sets out milestones for the destination’s climate work on an annual basis.
Take a look at the updated plan:
Visit Tampere – Climate Action Plan 2026
Urban Climate Leaders in Tourism
Leading players in the tourism sector and cities are working together to accelerate the transition towards climate-sustainable tourism. These organisations aim to be pioneers and set the direction for the entire sector, both nationally and internationally. The group’s activities are based on the UN-led international Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.
You can find useful guidelines for your company’s climate action in the handbook compiled by the Carbon Neutral Experiences project for use by tourism businesses:
A Handbook on Carbon Neutrality for Tourism Companies (in Finnish)
As part of the Climate Neutral Destinations project, which was launched in spring 2025, we are developing a toolkit and model for climate-smart tourism business operations, aimed at service design for low-carbon visitor experiences. Find out more about the project and join us in building your company’s low-carbon service offering!
Carbon Neutral Tourism Destination 2030 (Regional road map for sustainable tourism)
The biggest sustainability challenge in tourism
The vision and roadmap have been drawn up primarily to guide Visit Tampere’s work on developing tourism in Tampere and the region. The ambitious aim is to position Tampere among the international pioneers of sustainable tourism.
The aim of the roadmap is to identify the greatest sustainability challenges facing the tourism sector in Tampere and the Pirkanmaa region and to set a shared long-term goal to address them. Clearly defining this goal and prioritising development themes is of paramount importance for the allocation of resources. The roadmap sets out development pathways and the principles of knowledge-based management for monitoring progress.
Cooperation: the key to success
With the help of the roadmap, we will build a cross-sectoral approach to engage local businesses, the public sector, educational institutions and development organisations in supporting the goal and promoting cooperation in achieving it.
The key basis for setting the ‘Carbon-Neutral Tourist Destination by 2030’ target is the tourism businesses’ own carbon-neutrality targets – destination development work must support these and strengthen cooperation between stakeholders. Tampere and Pirkanmaa’s carbon neutrality targets form the basis for the tourism sector’s work. This enables wide-ranging cooperation between businesses and the public sector.
We provide businesses with tools to promote and monitor their emissions reduction efforts, the most important of which is Visit Finland’s open carbon footprint calculator for tourism businesses.
Meeting future demand and customer expectations
By striving for carbon-neutral tourism across the entire region, we aim to meet future customer demand and enable visitors to enjoy a sustainable stay in Tampere and Pirkanmaa. Above all, we want to act as a pioneer in sustainable tourism and seek solutions to the sector’s challenges as part of a national and international network. The roadmap focuses on the tourism sector but is also applicable more broadly to the events sector and the experience economy.
Developing sustainable transportation in tourism
Transport is a key part of tourism. Sustainable and seamless transport solutions enhance the visitor experience and boost Tampere’s appeal. This development requires cooperation between the public and private sectors, with Visit Tampere acting as coordinator and project operator.
Strategy: A barrier-free and accessible Tampere
Tampere’s Tourism Strategy 2025–2030 identifies sustainable mobility as a key priority. The aim is to create a barrier-free, safe and easily accessible city. Key priorities include the development of rail transport, streamlining travel chains and climate-friendly transport solutions.
Projects and trials to support development
The EU-funded Sustainable Tourism Mobility project has laid the foundations for the development of sustainable transport. The project produced a regional Action Plan for Sustainable Transport in Tourism.
Sustainable Tourism Mobility Action Plan
Service pilot projects implemented as part of the project
- Bike & Boat: a ticket package combining cycling and a boat trip
- Bike & Rail: local trains + city bikes
- E-Car Adventures: electric car hire for tourists
- Outdoor Express: the award-winning shuttle bus to the national parks
Cooperation and follow-up measures
Measures from the Action Plan for Sustainable Mobility in Tourism have also been incorporated into the city’s climate roadmap. Key priorities include, amongst other things, making better use of rail links and local trains, making public transport services more accessible to tourists in collaboration with Nysse, promoting electric and non-motorised transport, and developing methods for measuring the carbon footprint of transport in tourism
In 2024, Tampere joined the TAAS – Tourism as a Service project, which provides additional resources to further strategic objectives. Key partners include the city, Nysse, VR, Matkahuolto, Ekokumppanit and the university.
