1) We practice fair cooperation.
2) We take care of the local environment.
3) We respect local culture and traditions.
4) We respect human rights and equality.
5) We favor local products and services.
6) Safety and quality are a priority for us.
7) We think about the climate when making choices.
8) We communicate openly.
9) We are constantly developing our business.
10) We are committed to the principles of sustainable tourism.
A responsible tourism company proves its responsibility by joining Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) -sustainability path and obtaining a sustainability certificate.
The STF program is free of charge for companies and registration is to be made here (in Finnish).
After signing up, the company will receive an e-guide presenting the sustainability certificates. The company selects the appropriate certificate and completes the STF -pathway and the certificate at the same time. The processes support each other. There is a fee for the certificate and prices vary.
goSaimaa, the regional organization for tourism marketing in the Lappeenranta and Imatra region, has joined the Visit Finland Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) program in autumn 2020. goSaimaa is responsible for organizing sustainable development training for the tourism industry in South Karelia.
To be awarded the STF regional label, goSaimaa must have most of the entire South Karelia tourism industry with it - 51% of tourism companies involved with international trade in the STF programme and certified. goSaimaa aims to achieve the target in 2025 and to raise the sustainability theme to the Saimaa level in the form of a sustainability strategy.
Please do join the Sustainable Travel Finland program and take the first steps of the STF’s seven-step program towards a sustainable destination with us.
q I sort and recycle.
q I pay attention to energy and water consumption.
q I do not provide services that are harmful to the environment.
q I use eco-labelled products and materials..
q I calculate my carbon footprint, I aim to reduce it, I compensate.
q My staff is also committed to the above.
q I buy local.
q I prefer year-round employment.
q I employ locals.
q I make sustainable purchases and investments.
q I operate transparently.
q I reduce food waste.
q I prefer local food.
q I consider the preservation of local culture.
q Increasing vitality of the area is important to me.
q I make use of local products and services.
q I recommend local products.
q I respect local products.
q I provide accessible services.
q I treat my staff equally.
q I treat my customers equally.
q I communicate about local culture.
Sustainability is a broad and wide theme. Start with simple things and remember to communicate about them. Is your product accessible, is it suitable for everyone, can everyone take part to your trip, do you customize your product on request?
Responsible tourism products and services are already widely searched among visitors, don’t forget sustainability in your productization.
Calculate the carbon footprint of your business with the Visit Finland calculator.
Sustainability is about taking actions and communicating those actions is very important - customers will not know that you are responsible unless you communicate it. The company should have a website in, at least Finnish and English, if it wants to attract domestic and international customers. The website should have a sustainability page where the company’s sustainability is highlighted.
Communication about your sustainability does not have to be ready, let alone, can it even be.
Visit Finland and several Finnish tourism companies and regions have signed the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism, a global climate declaration for the tourism industry. The signatories commit to halving their carbon dioxide emissions during this decade and aim to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.
We encourage tourism businesses to sign the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Change at www.oneplanetnetwork.org
