What can tourism operators do to promote the sustainability of tourism?
Make use of the guides and supporting materials for developing sustainable tourism and tourism safety.
Sustainable Travel Finland programme
The free-of-charge Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) programme provides companies and destinations with a toolkit for developing sustainable tourism, which enables them to adopt sustainable measures and choices in their daily operations. Companies and destinations that have completed the programme and meet the criteria will be granted the Sustainable Travel Finland label, which communicates sustainable activities to international travellers. Companies and regions having earned the right to use the Sustainable Travel Finland label will have access to a continuous development model, latest information related to the sustainable development of tourism, marketing support and increased visibility on the Visit Finland channels.
In September 2023, the programme included 132 companies, 58 of which have been granted the STF label. Helsinki takes part in the programme and the city aims to receive the Sustainable Travel Finland destination label in 2025.
Sustainable Travel Finland Programme(Link leads to external service)
Think Sustainably service
The Think Sustainably service highlights Helsinki-based companies that act responsibly in their business operations. The service covers six different categories: attractions, restaurants, events, venues, accommodation and shopping.
Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism
Cities and tourism operators that sign the Glasgow Declaration (supported by the UN) commit themselves to immediately accelerating climate action in order to reduce global emissions from tourism by at least half in the next decade. The aim is to achieve net zero emissions from tourism as soon as possible before 2050. Every Helsinki-based tourism company can sign the declaration.
Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism(Link leads to external service)
Carbon Neutrality Handbook for Tourism Enterprises
The Carbon Neutrality Handbook for Tourism Enterprises offers advice and support for companies in the tourism industry to implement their own emission reductions. The manual, published in September 2022, was created as a part of the Carbon Neutral Experience project, coordinated by Novago Business Development Ltd.
Guide to carbon footprint communication for tourism companies (in Finnish)
Guide for tourism companies on how to communicate to consumers about reducing carbon footprint. The guide is practical and contains concrete examples.
Guide to carbon footprint communication for tourism companies (in Finnish)
Measuring the carbon footprint for tourism companies and events
Tourism companies can measure their own carbon footprint using Visit Finland's Co2 calculator for the tourism industry. Helsinki-based event producers can calculate the carbon footprint of the event by using the calculator implemented by the City of Helsinki.
CO2 calculator for the tourism industry(Link leads to external service)
Checklists for Saving Energy (in Finnish)
The Checklists for Saving Energy for tourism companies were created as a part of the measures of the Carbon Neutral Experience and Sustainable Growth for Tourism: Southern Finland projects (in Finnish, links open as excel files):
Transportation(Link leads to external service)
Accommodation(Link leads to external service)
Guide to Inclusive Travel
The goal of inclusive travel is to ensure that travel experiences are equally accessible to all, regardless of age, sexual orientation, religion, culture and special needs. With the help of Visit Finland's Guide to Inclusive Travel, tourism companies can develop their business toward inclusiveness.
Compass for Social Responsibility at Events
A tool for examining and developing the social responsibility of your event. The tool includes measures of different levels for use in event production.
Guide on how to communicate about accessible services to customers with reduced mobility (in Finnish)
This guide provides advice on what lodging and restaurant industry companies should take into account to improve the implementation of accessible services and communicate about them to customers with reduced mobility. The guide was produced as part of the Sustainable Growth for Tourism: Southern Finland project.
Compass – A Handbook for Safety in Tourism in Helsinki
Compass, or the Handbook for the Safety of Tourism in Helsinki, offers comprehensive safety information and instructions for operators in the tourism industry. The handbook has been created together in the project "Matkailun alueellinen johtaminen". More about the project at Completed projects (page in Finnish).
Logbook – a digital tool for mapping out safety issues (in Finnish)
The Logbook is a digital tool for mapping out safety issues, and it contains the most important safety measures that a tourism company must take into account in its everyday operations. The manual was published in spring 2023.
Logbook – a digital tool for mapping out safety issues (in Finnish)
10 tips for improving cyber security in the tourism industry (in Finnish)
What should tourism businesses do to improve cyber security? Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) has created an annual clock for cyber security for tourism businesses and 10 tips for improving cyber security in the tourism industry.
10 tips for improving cyber security in the tourism industry (in Finnish)
Communicating Sustainable Tourism in Helsinki for Customer Service Personnel (guide & video)
In order to communicate Helsinki's sustainability in an effective way, a guidebook has been put together for people working tourism customer service, for example, hotel receptionists, museum workers, and restaurant personnel.
In the video, Senior Advisor Jukka Punamäki from the City of Helsinki's Tourism and Destination Management Unit and Anu Nylund from Mood of Finland discuss Helsinki's sustainable tourism and the guidelines for sustainable tourism aimed at customer service workers in the tourism sector.
Sustainable Helsinki Guidelines for Customer Service Personnel
A visitor's guide to a sustainable visit in Helsinki
For anyone visiting the city, Helsinki has created a guide to help to make the trip as sustainable as possible. You can share the guide in your own channels, for example by linking it to your own website or booking channel.
Toolkits for Communicating Sustainability in Helsinki
Helsinki Partners’ comprehensive responsibility-themed toolkit highlights sustainable development work done by Helsinki and helps to communicate it through concrete examples and tools.
Toolkit for Communicating Climate & Environmental Sustainability in Helsinki
Sustainable Meeting Guidelines
Helsinki Partners has created guidelines for organising sustainable events. The guidelines can be downloaded from Helsinki Material Bank(Link leads to external service)
Sustainable meeting guidelines(Link leads to external service)
Guide to Sustainable Food Tourism (in Finnish)
Visit Finland's guide especially supports the development of food tourism companies targeting international markets, but it is equally suitable for companies that only serve domestic customers. The guide contains plenty of useful links to other publications on the matter that have already been produced in abundance.
Guide to Sustainable Food Tourism (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
More responsible restaurant operations workbook (in Finnish)
A workbook for all operators in the food and beverages industry containing information on carbon handprints and how it can be utilised to make the everyday operation of restaurants more socially responsible.
Workbook: More responsible restaurant operations (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
Instructions for providing accommodation in a flat
The purpose of these instructions is to clarify when a permit is required for transferring the right of occupancy of a flat and when such provision of accommodation is considered professional and not occasional, short-term letting of a private home.
Expert on sustainable tourism
Jukka Punamäki
Senior Advisor, Tourism
+358 44 713 1753(Link starts a phone call)
jukka.punamaki@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)