Peaks of Kuopio are reaching new heights

Drawing from the principles of continuous development and collaboration, the landmarks of North Savo that have stood in these parts since time immemorial are evolving into even more attractive, all-inclusive oases of experiences, offering wonders to discover for locals and tourists alike.

TEXT TIMO MANSIKKA-AHO

PHOTOS WILLE MARKKANEN, TIINA KILVENSALMI AND COLD CREATIVES

PUIJO – NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AND CROWDPULLING DESTINATION

For the past 60 years, the Puijo Tower has welcomed people arriving to the city particularly by road. Despite being one of the most famous landmarks in Finland, it is only the tip of the iceberg when you consider everything that the Puijo area has to offer these days to anyone interested in experiencing nature.

“Puijo is part of the national landscape, and we have tried to develop the area by introducing the widest possible range of activities that can be enjoyed in the nature of Puijo,” says CEO at Puijo Peak Pekka Niemelä.

Puijo Peak is developing Puijo in line with its strategy, 4seasons, 4reasons Brand-new attractions and tourism products are being created particularly for the darker seasons of the year with the help of the infrastruc- ture reforms made by the city and the unique location of Puijo. As the manager of the region, Puijo Peak also creates opportunities for other service providers in Puijo, thereby improving the combined attractiveness of the entire area.

A snow tubing slope, programme services for groups, electric-assist fatbike rental and various virtual and augmented reality adventures are just a few examples of the experiences that can now be enjoyed in the national landscape. The improvements in the area have not gone unnoticed: Puijo Tower was visited by 58 different nationalities in the summer season, and c. 15 000 people explored the Halloween nature trail over a period of two weeks in the autumn.

The attractiveness, customer volumes and sales of the area have grown significantly, but Niemelä promises that this is only the beginning: new additions are constantly being developed.

TAHKO – IMPROVING SERVICES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Located fifty odd kilometres north of the city centre is perhaps the brightest star of tourism in Kuopio, Tahko, which is just as unique a phenomenon as Puijo. Development projects and new investments are constantly in progress.

Panorama Landscape Hotel & Lähde Forest Spa is being built on top of Tahko. The building has been designed to blend naturally into its surroundings both visually and in terms of the activities it provides. The stunning scenery offers dynamic experiences year-round. The plan is to make the first activities available to visitors in spring 2023. The project designer is the Norway-based architect, Professor Sami Rintala.

“The entire Tahko area is developing in a positive direction,” says Chair of the Board of TAHKOcom Pekka Vihma. “We have established a presence in modern channels using modern tools. New holiday destinations are being built and old ones are renovated to meet the high expectations of today's travellers.”

Vihma points out that Tahko reacted to the emerging platform economy already 20 years ago, and its service development was harnessed to follow this megatrend. Step by step, TAHKOcom was born – a unique sales channel that is now used to sell 300 000 accommodation days in over 1 000 places of accommodation. In addition, TAHKOcom is the best source of information in the area, gathering 1.3 million contacts per year.

Vihma says that the development of Tahko will continue to pick up pace. A new project named SmartTahko is looking for ways to make the Tahko tourist area the number one location for technological development and smart services.

“We are working constantly to improve the quality and attractiveness of the area using new methods and technologies. If we want to continue to succeed, we need to set goals for ourselves and look boldly into the future.”

Tahkon Kehitys Oy is a company established specifically for the purpose of promoting the development of the area, involving the eight biggest actors in the area and the City of Kuopio. It is a forum that focuses on developing Tahko following the principle ‘more together’. Discovering new insight together has already produced several synergistic areas of activities.

The active development of the areas of Puijo and Tahko brings new life to the entire city. In addition to increasing visitor pull and retention, the versatile experiences and advanced technological solutions ensure better services for locals too.