infacto newsletter no 2

InFAcTo project E-newsletter www.infactoproject.eu

Inside the issue:

International Food and Activity Tourism convention 2

International Food and Activity Tourism market research literature review 3-5

What has been done so far 6-8

A food trail is developed named after epic hero in Western Saaremaa 9

Peek into the regional tourism package development 10

New ideas, getting to know your customers and networking 11

Project placement program 16th - 21th of April 12

Project placement program 2nd - 7th of July 13

5th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum - Tourism cooperation in the EU programme period 2014-2020 14

Project partners 16

Project partners meetings 15

No . 2 J a n u a r y , 2 0 1 3

Dear reader,

As partners of the International Food and Activity

Tourism project InFAcTo, we are pleased to share with

you what has happened during the past year in our

project as well as what remains to be done, as we have

exciting times ahead!

Year 2012 was a very busy year in the project as the

activities finally proceeded full speed. The local food and

activity tourism product development started both in

Estonia in Saaremaa, Võrumaa and Setomaa as well as

in Häme in Finland.

First came the training sessions that involved general

internationalization themes, specific master classes as

well as information on the needs of the target markets.

Then the actual product development workshops started

- and are still ongoing. And we are happy to say that we

already have a few finished products, please read

samples inside the newsletter!

The network of entrepreneurs that have been involved in

the project both in Estonia and Finland have had the op-

portunity to learn from each other during the

entrepreneur work placement program. This has been

an important part of the project and we are pleased by

the excellent feedback received about the program -

please read for yourselves!

And the exciting times ahead? We will have the chance

to show all our fantastic products made in the project for

tour operators, travel journalists and incoming agencies

in May. We are organising a local food and activity tour-

ism convention on the 11th of April in Tallinn - do come

and join us then!

On behalf of all our partners

I would like to wish you

enjoyable reading,

Jaana Räisänen

Project Manager

Häme Development Centre Ltd

Announcing theAnnouncing theAnnouncing the

INTERNATIONAL FOOD INTERNATIONAL FOOD INTERNATIONAL FOOD ANDANDAND ACTIVITY TOURISM CONVENTIONACTIVITY TOURISM CONVENTIONACTIVITY TOURISM CONVENTION

InFAcTo, an INTERREG IV A Central Baltic Programme project invites you to join in at the

Hotel Salzburg, Tallinn, 11th April 2013Hotel Salzburg, Tallinn, 11th April 2013Hotel Salzburg, Tallinn, 11th April 2013

Whether you are a tour operator, travel agent, teacher, entrepreneur or just interested in local food and activity tourism then come and join us in Tallinn.

The project team, partners and our food and activity tourism providers and intermediaries have

organised a day of exhibitions, presentations, food tasting, activity tourism demonstrations as well as a lot more information about new opportunities for innovative and exciting food

and activity tourism packages.

For more information please contact Kaili Kattai [email protected] The language of the convention is English; entrance is free.

PROGRAM: 09:00 - 09:30 Welcome coffee/tea and registration for parallel session workgroups Presentations 09:30 - 09:45 Opening and introduction to the InFAcTo project 09:45 - 10:05 Food and activity tourism marketing 10:05 - 10:25 Integrated rural tourism 10:25 - 10:45 Selling tourism packages through international travel agencies 10:45 - 11:00 Customer expectations in activity tourism and cooperation with universities 11:00 - 11:30 Coffee/tea break Regional presentations 11:30 - 13:00 Food and Activity Tourism packages from regional partners: Häme (Finland), Võrumaa, Setomaa and Saaremaa (Estonia) 13:00 - 14:00 Lunch - Fusion menu from InFAcTo regions 14:00 - 17:00 Rotating parallel sessions, 45 min per session I group: "TASTE OF THE REGION” Cooking demonstrations and degustation II group: “ADVENTURES OF THE REGION” Demonstration of activity tourism equipment and video-shows III group: “VISUALISATION OF INTEGRATED TOURISM PLANS” 3D landscape theatre - Maidla Water Sports Centre and Seto Külavüü (tourist route) IV group: “WELCOME TO OUR REGION” Posters/demo-versions of packages from InFAcTo pilot regions 17:00 - 17:30 Discussion: How we can benefit from networking with other regions Closing of convention

PLEASE REGISTER ON PROJECT WEBSITE www.infactoproject.eu

InFAcTo project E-newsletter

InFAcTo-project E-newsletter

Report prepared by: David Lamb, Caroline Shahin and Paul Mayfield, Food & Drink, SAC Consulting, 1st October 2012. Compendium by Lea Sudakova, Estonian Univesity of Life Sciences

FOOD TOURISM AS A FASHIONABLE TREND

Food tourism is set to be the “next big thing” which will

rival ecotourism as a fashionable trend (Center for Hos-

pitality Research, 2005 cited in Henderson, 2009). Food

and beverage expenditure amounted to a third of overall

tourist expenditure in the regions assessed (Meler and

Cerović, 2003 cited in Tikkanen, 2007).

López-Guzmán (2012) noted that tourism had under-

gone major changes during the first few years of the

twenty first century as a consequence of tourists search-

ing for new and different destinations that offered distinct

and novel experiences. Tourists now demand trips

where they can use their other senses. They wish to

appreciate the atmosphere of a location, enjoy the local

food or take part in a particular event. This is why wine

and culinary tourism has emerged (Lopez-Guzman,

2012).

A region’s local foods can be a motivating factor among

tourists seeking unique and authentic experiences and it

is during these events that tourists are exposed to their

host’s cultures (Plummer et al., 2005 cited in Alonso,

2010).

Food is an essential prerequiste all tourists eat when

travelling and for some good food can be a major draw

and primary motivator (Henderson , 2009). With regard

to benefits, food offers pleasure and entertainment and

serves a social purpose. Dining habits can also afford

insights into ways of life (Bell and Valentine, 1997, cited

in Henderson, 2009), helping tourists understand differ-

ences between cultures (Hegarty and O’Mahoney, 2001;

Williams, 1997 cited in Henderson, 2009).

Henderson (2009) suggested that food tourism can be a

core element in the branding of a country or a destina-

tion by marketers. A clearly defined gastronomic identity

and heritage can be exploited in crucial processes of

differentiation and rejuvenation, helping convey a unique

sense of place (Fox, 2007 cited in Henderson, 2009).

Food can thus be central to destination development;

and harnessed to overall economic advancement.

Special produce, especially if closely linked to the desti-

nation, is a popular souvenir and useful gift. Consump-

tion patterns may even change on the traveller’s return

as a consequence of exposure to previously unknown

foodstuffs and methods of preparation (Henderson,

2009). An author commented that the tourism industry

should have the competencies to fulfil marketing prom-

ises to avoid disappointed customers and harmful public-

ity. Progress to the realisation of these goals means in-

vestment in appropriate technologies, education and

training to ensure a skilled and enthusiastic workforce

able to prepare and serve the food with confidence and

flair.

Alonso (2010) also acknowledged the importance of

good customer service, many stakeholders are begin-

ning to develop the hospitality / tourism side of their busi-

ness and it is therefore imperative that they get it right

(Kandampully, 2007 cited in Alonso, 2010), focusing on

the product and service elements. Alonso (2010) fur-

ther comments that in an era when consumers and tour-

ists are presented with many choices, the need to pro-

vide a pleasurable, educative and interesting experience

while keeping an eye on maintaining product / service

standards is fundamental for business success or even

survival.

ETIQUETTE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

OF TOURISTS NEEDS

Recognising and responding satisfactorily to differing

food needs of tourists is important. This also encom-

passes religious observances as food may be a key con-

cern for certain groups with strict dietary codes, such as

Muslims, when travelling abroad. The dramatic increase

in Chinese travellers also has implications for hospitality

businesses unfamiliar with native Chinese cuisine and

habits. There may be a general misunderstanding be-

tween hosts and guests regarding food and culinary eti-

quette (Cohen and Avieli, 2004 cited in Henderson,

2009) compounded by linguistic and cultural barriers. All

tourists thus require information about what is on offer

and sometimes advice about appropriate behaviour in

order to facilitate their participation and enjoyment. Pos-

sible measures to aid this could be the publication of

INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND ACTIVITY TOURISM MARKET RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW

InFAcTo project E-newsletter

tourist guides, installation of foreign language signage

and multilingual menus with ingredients and prices

clearly marked (Henderson, 2009).

COLLABORATION

Food tourism can also be combined with other non-food

tourism and can be exemplified by the use of heritage

buildings as suitable settings for food and wine fairs.

These animate the sites, boost attendances and sales,

augment the attractions inventory and strengthen desti-

nation competitiveness so that all partners gain from col-

laboration (Henderson, 2009).

Alonso (2010) considers the impact of alliances using

“Tastes of Niagara” as an example; an initiative where

producers, chefs, farm markets, cooking schools, winer-

ies, tour operators and cultural groups (Telfer, 2000 cited

in Alonso, 2010) work strategically for a common goal,

which is ‘to promote the use of local food in the tourism

industry’ (Telfer, 2001 cited in Alonso, 2010).

In addition the importance of collaboration is empha-

sised by Wargenau and Che (2006) who found a high

degree of success between the local wineries, tour op-

erators, lodging businesses and restaurants. Resulting

synergies and self promotion have helped the Southwest

Michigan Wine Trail become a tourist destination in its

own right (Wargenau and Che, 2006 cited in Alonso,

2011) demonstrating the potential that tight knit coopera-

tion and relationships can have for the common good of

an entire region.

UNDERSTANDING ACTIVITY TOURISM

Trauer (2006) opens by stating that according to

Opaschowski (2001) who refers to vacations in the 21st

century as ‘Das gekaufte Paradies’ (the bought para-

dise), the tourism industry is increasingly subsuming the

identity of an ‘experience industry’ with tourists willing to

pay tourism organisers to help find optimal experiences

with the limited time available. Opaschowski (2001) sug-

gests furthermore that tourists are looking for emotional

stimuli; they want to buy feelings and not products. They

want to personally experience the immaterial qualities,

seeking ambiance, aesthetics and atmosphere, looking

for an experience full of varying intimacies, intensities

and complexities.

Pomfret (2006 cited in Tangeland and Aas 2011) makes

an interesting observation with regard to activities such

as trekking and hiking, rafting, climbing, nature photogra-

phy, wildlife safaris, and camping in natural areas. He

argues that many of these activities can be enjoyed free

of charge if users have the competence and necessary

equipment although increasingly these activities have

been converted into nature based tourism products by

outfitters, tour operators and guides. Tangeland and

Aas (2011) suggest that drawing definitive boundaries

between non commercial outdoor recreation and com-

mercial tourism in nature areas is challenging because

the differences between such activities have become

increasingly blurred. He quotes Carr (2002) who ac-

knowledges that both outdoor recreation and tourism

share the same resources, and sometimes the same

public facilities and compete for the same money and

time. Therefore, there is a growing recognition that free

outdoor recreation activities and commercial tourism ac-

tivities are in fact, end points on a continuous leisure

scale.

UNDERSTANDING TOURISTS / CONSUMERS

Devine (2011) suggests that as the tourism market has

grown, a more complex and sophisticated type of tourist

has emerged. Novelli (2005 cited in Devine 2011) dis-

cusses how tourists are no longer satisfied with the tradi-

tional sun, sand and sea package and seek more di-

verse ways to spend their leisure time.

Swarbrooke et al (2003; Tsui, 2000; Christiansen 1990

cited in Williams 2009) suggest that activity tourism con-

sumers tend to be young, educated, affluent, active, thrill

seekers who spend significant sums of money in their

pursuit of adventure. Adventure travellers are often de-

manding and disconcerting consumers while on holiday,

and often travel to some of the most remote, extreme

environments of the world to satisfy their needs for emo-

tional highs, risk, challenge, excitement and novelty

(Zuckerman 1994; Christiansen 1990; Bello and Etzel

1985; Crompton 1979 cited in Williams 2009). Williams

(2009) suggests a better understanding of the socio-

psychological dimensions of such consumption would

help marketers target such consumers more effectively.

Emotions such as joy and fear may be the core benefit

sought in a product / experience, and it is likely that dif-

ferent consumers experience and evaluate those emo-

tions in different ways (Carú and Cova 2003 cited in

Faullant et al 2011) and need to be understood.

As Frangialli (2003 cited in Page 2005) acknowledges

‘....... the well being of tourists has become one of the

primary concerns of the tourism industry’. Whilst tourists

are prepared to accept a certain amount of risk in travel-

ling and the activities they engage in (Kroeber-Riel 1992

cited in Page 2005), the potential effects of recurrent

problems affecting tourists may lead to the perceived

risk of engagement. Risk is one of the major motivations

for adventure tourism along with excitement, challenge,

uncertainty, danger, novelty, escapism and stimulation.

Bentley et al (2010) cite Ewert and Jamieson (2003) who

define adventure tourism as the ‘deliberate seeking of

risk and uncertainty of outcome’ and it certainly appears

to satisfy tourists’ desire to engage in ‘at risk’ or ‘risk tak-

ing’ behaviours (Hall and McArthur 1994 et al cited in

Bentley 2010). However Bentley (2010) cites Cater

2006, Morgan and Fluke 2006, Ryan 2003 who argue

further that as it is safe to assume that the majority of

adventure tourism participants do not wish to become

injured or face an actual risk of harm to themselves, it

falls to adventure operators to simultaneously provide

safe and exciting experiences.

COLLABORATION / COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Yeoman (2007) states that tourism can be a powerful

tool for development, but acknowledges that its potential

can be wasted, stating that too often tourism enterprises

see each other only as competitors, and end up frustrat-

ing visitors.

Devine (2011) cites Huxham and Vangen (2005) who in

their analysis of collaborative arrangements introduce

the terms ‘collaborative advantage’ and ‘collaborative

inertia’. They define collaborative advantage as ‘when

something unusually creative is produced – perhaps an

objective is met – which no organisation could have pro-

duced on its own and when each organisation, through

collaboration, is able to achieve its own objectives better

than it could alone’. The second concept collaborative

inertia, captures what they found what happens very fre-

quently in practice - ‘the output from a collaborative ar-

rangement is negligible, the rate of output is extremely

slow, or stories of pain and hard grind are integral to

successes achieved’.

PUBLICATIONS

• Aas, T. T. (2011). Household composition and the im-

portance of experince attributes of nature based tourism

activity products - A Norweigan case study of outdoor

recreationists. Tourism Management, 822 - 832.

• Alonso, A. D. (2011). Muscadine - wines, wineries and

the hospitality industry: An exploratory study of relation-

ships. British Food Journal, 338 - 352.

• Alonso, A. D. (2010). Olives, hospitality and tourism: a

Western Australia perspective. British Food Journal, 55 -

68.

• Bentley, Tim C. C. (2010). Adventure and ecotourism

safety in Queensland: Operator experiences. Tourism

Management, 563 - 571.

• Devine, Adrian E. B. (2011). Towards a theory of col-

laborative advantage for the sports tourism policy arena.

International Journal of Public Sector Management, 23 -

41.

• Devine, Adrian F. D. (2011). Planning and developing

tourism within a public sector quagmire: Lessons from

and for small countries. Tourism Management, 1253 -

1261.

• Henderson, Joan C.(2009) "Food tourism reviewed",

British Food Journal, 111(4), 317 - 326.

• López-Guzmán, T. (2012). Culinary tourism in Córdoba

[Spain]. British Food Journal

• Rita Faullant, K. M. (2011). Personality, basic emo-

tions, and satisfaction: Primary emotions in the moun-

taineering experience. Tourism Managment, 1423 -

1430.

• Page, Stephen J. T. A. (2005). Scoping the nature and

extent of adventure tourism operations in Scotland.

Tourism Management, 381 - 397.

• Tikkanen, I. (2007). Maslow's hierarchy and food tour-

ism in Finland. British Food Journal, 721 - 734.

• Trauer, B. (2006). Conceptualising special interest

tourism - frameworks for analysis. Tourism Manange-

ment, 183 - 200.

• Williams, P. (2009). Value, satisfaction and behavioural

intentions in an adventure tourism context . Annals of

Tourism Research, 413 - 438.

• Yeoman, Ian D. B.-B. (2007). Current issues in tour-

ism: the autherntic tourist. Tourism Management, 1128 -

1138.


Võru County Vocational Training Centre

Võru Vocational Training Centre arranged and ran a

series of 4 Local Food and Product Development

mentored workshops for InFAcTo project entrepreneurs in

the Setomaa and Võrumaa region.

The training courses which were attended by micro

tourism operators from across the region were aimed at

helping the entrepreneurs to better understand the need

of tourists, how to work together cooperatively and how to

develop new or diversified tourism products and services

within their businesses.

The courses were designed as mentored master classes

and provided support to the entrepreneurs in new

developing new products, increased practical cooperation

between businesses with the aim of increasing regional

competitiveness.

The goal in these training courses was the preparation of

joint packages for regional tourism operators and

confidence building in product development.

The courses were run as follows:

Workshop: Tourism Development

Date: 08.12.2011; Vaskna Tourism Farm, Võrumaa Trainers: Eda Veeroja, Luule Lipp

Workshop: Tourism Development

Date: 12.01.2012; Koke Guesthouse, Võrumaa Trainers: Eda Veeroja, Luule Lipp

Five seminars (repeated for local communities) were run

with the theme of joint product development

Dates: 16.01.2012; Uhtjärve Ürgoru Nõiariik, Võrumaa Trainer: Luule Lipp

24.01.2012; Setomaa Tourism Farm, Võrumaa

Trainer: Eda Veeroja

08.03.2012; Taarka Tarõ, Võrumaa

Trainers: Eda Veeroja

29.03.2012; Seto Tsäimaja, Põlvamaa

Trainer: Luule Lipp

05.04.2012; Taarka Tarõ, Võrumaa

Trainers: Roger Evans, Merit Mikk, Eda Veeroja

Workshop: Development and creation of tourism

packages in food and activity tourism The series of mentored workshops closed with product

development and partnership building workshops on the

development and creation of tourism packages in food

and activity tourism.

Date: 23.04.2012, Piusa Caves Visitor Centre Trainers: Roger Evans, Merit Mikk, Luule Lipp

Date: 28.05.2012, Piusa Ürgoru Puhkekompleks Trainers: Roger Evans, Merit Mikk

The workshops developed draft itineraries and

content for four suggested tourism packages located in the Setomaa and Võrumaa areas and based on touring

the local area to enjoy local foods, activities and culture.

● Cultural tour in the southeast corner of Estonia

● Look round the corner!

● Setomaa, Haanja-touring, smoke sauna and handicrafts

● Winter activities in Haanja


Local Food and Activity Tourism product development 08.12.2011

Seminar in Setomaa Tourism Farm 24.01.2012

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR


Kuressaare Regional Training Centre

Seminar: Quality requirements of small producers Date: 12.12.2011 Local food producers took part in a seminar examining the requirements for the local food. Examples were given that ingredients should be sourced from within a radius of 100km or local fields in order for the product to be labelled “Made in Saaremaa”. Karen Allas from the InFAcTo pro-ject team led the discussions along with Aivar Kallas a local sheep farmer. A common quality concept for Saare-maa local food was agreed and described.

Training: Heritage Food - Smoked meat and food experience Date: 13.01.2012 Urmas Veersalu from Mooska tourist farm talked about heritage food and how to smoke meat in a smoke sauna. The workshop included topics on how to do this as a tour-ism product with tourists.

Seminar: Learning from each other, networking with Southern-Estonia and Cross-marketing Date: 14.01.2012. Urmas Veeroja led the discussion on how local busi-nesses could market each other to a tourist. He gave many examples on how cross marketing is done in South-ern Estonia.

Training: Regional Collaboration in Creating Packages for Tourists Date: 07.03.2012 Kristiina Mägi from Kuressaare Tourist Information Centre and Aivar Kallas led group work on developing food trails in Saaremaa. Training: Simple Website as Marketing Tool Date: 17.04.2012 The InFAcTo Training Needs Survey among local small businesses revealed that they need skills in developing simple websites in order to market their products and ser-vices. IT-specialist, Reget Kalamees, led the training. Training: Wholemeal flour buns and bakery for people with health problems Date: 03.05.2012. Local small producers and tourism entrepreneurs took part in the training workshop where the topic of gluten-free food was discussed. Participants learned how to bake with whole grain in the workshop led by Helgi Vait, an expert baker.


Heritage food- smoked meat and food experience 13.01.2012

Learning from each other, networking and Cross-marketing

Quality requirements of small producers 12.12.2011

Wholemeal flour buns and bakery for people with health problems


Häme Development Centre Ltd

During 2012 the training and development activities of the

project in Hämeenlinna region focussed fully on tourism

product and service development.

The year started off with two seminars about the needs

and expectations of target market customers particularly

those from Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia.

The seminars were led by the tourism trade market

experts: Mr Jari Einiö from SuomihouseJari, Amsterdam

and Mrs Merja Pollok from Finnovate, Finland.

Following the seminars, tourism entrepreneurs were

invited to join actual product development workshops

facilitated by Mrs Pollok from Finnovate and held during

the spring and autumn of 2012.

The main groups for the workshops were:

• Winter tourism package for Russians;

• Weekly activity program for international individual

tourists;

• Bus trip for German tourists;

• Fishing package for Russians.

During the autumn the InFAcTo project participated in the

Russian tour operator Labirint’s workshop called Nordic

Forum in Turku, Finland. The project had an opportunity to test market the new

packages to Russian travel agencies as well as

showcasing them in the Forum's mini fair and the

feedback received was very valuable for fine tuning the

tourism packages.

As a direct result of the contacts made during the fair, the

Executive Director of Labirint Travel visited Hämeenlinna

region in late October. During this trip, the first tentative

reservations were made visitors to come to Hämeenlinna

during the Russian new-year period 2013.

The InFAcTo project also networked with other regional

tourism projects in the region. The most active

participation was with the Culinary Journey to Häme

project, and which the InFAcTo project manager also

showcased in the Nordic Forum.

The InFAcTo entrepreneurs also continued to develop

their internationalisation skills by participating in the

English language conversation groups under the expert

guidance of Mr Brian Joice from HAMK.


Nordic Forum, Turku, 13.-14.09.2012

Understanding the needs and expectations of the dutch customers by Mr Jari Einiö at Kirstulan Kartano

Mr Sergey Mikhailov, the Executive Director of Labirint Travel visiting Tervakosken Tervaniemi

Page 8 InFAcTo-project E-newsletter

A FOOD TRAIL IS DEVELOPED NAMED AFTER EPIC HERO IN WESTERN SAAREMAA


Text: Taavi Tuisk (Kuressaare Regional Training Centre)

Local food tourism activists from Western Saaremaa are

developing a food trail named after local epic hero Suur

Tõll (Tõll the Great). The trail will offer tourists an active

glimpse into local food.

“The idea behind this trail is that after the day-long trip

the tourists have an idea where the food of Saaremaa

comes from and how it is prepared,” said Karen Allas,

local food advocate from Saaremaa Marketing Associa-

tion.

The food trail will be orientated around community kitch-

ens and village centres. Karen also said that they are

developing a trip suitable for a busload of tourists “If you

only had four or ten people, it would be difficult to make

ends meet” she added.

The food trail would include earth-baked lamb (baked by

hot stones in a hole in the ground), local bakery products

and legends about Suur Tõll.

At Karala, a small village by the sea, tourists can eat

seasonal smoked fish and participate in a variety of

workshops. Depending upon the season; jams can be

made in a community kitchen, visitors can try building a

dry stone wall – a local ubiquitous feature of the land-

scape and cleaning fish nets.

The day will end with eating the earth-baked lamb.

Smoked fish and other freshly made delicacy from Western Saaremaa form the central concept of the new tourism product

Highlight: Earth baked lamb

Local Food

Western Saaremaa food trail testing on 3rd July 2012


PEEK INTO THE REGIONAL TOURISM PACKAGE DEVELOPMENT


Text: Jaana Räisänen (Project Manager, Häme Development Centre Ltd)

”Finland’s best reindeer park is in Iittala”

Said Ms Evegenia Gvozdilina, the Scandinavian man-

ager of Russian tour operator Labirint Travel, having vis-

ited the Iittala Reindeer Park with over 200 guests in the

beginning of January. The well made program that con-

sisted of traditional Sami songs, reindeer rides and ex-

cellent service impressed Evgenia so much that she

brought three more groups in addition to the original one

for a day trip from Helsinki to Iittala Reindeer Park. She

has already made reservations for double the amount for

next year.

In addition to the two-hour reindeer park visit, the day

trip consisted of lunch and shopping at the Iittala Glass

Centre as well as guided tour of Hämeenlinna city, fin-

ishing with free time for shopping for traditional delica-

cies. Lehdon Liikenne buses from Jananakka with their

Russian speaking driver drove the customers from Hel-

sinki and back.

The customers were the first ones as a result of the

product development in Häme region.

www.reindeerpark.fi

www.iittalanlasimaki.fi

www.kantahameenoppaat.fi

www.lehdonliikenne.fi

Reindeer park in Iittala

Friendly park dweller in Iittala

Reindeer park attraction in Iittala

Greetings from Iittala

Page 10 InFAcTo-project E-newsletter Page 10 InFAcTo-project E-newsletter

Our program of providing opportunities for local entre-

preneurs and employees from partner regions to experi-

ence at first hand the concrete working life in partner

country is midway in its execution. 26 people have al-

ready had the opportunity to make the intensive 5 day

theme based visit to different enterprises.

Originally the duration of the visit was to be 10 days, but

this proved to be too long for the participants to be away

from their normal work. The idea to have the visits theme

based was to offer as efficient and interesting content to

the entrepreneurs and employees as possible.

● The first program was in Häme region and was

based around the theme of activity tourism – including accommodation and marketing with 9

participants.

● The second program was again to Häme region,

with the same theme of activity tourism – to handi-crafts companies with 3 participants.

● The third program was to Setomaa with the theme

of activity tourism – including medieval tourism with 9 participants.

● The forth program was to Häme with the theme

local food and activities – including medieval tourism with 9 participants.

Based on both verbal feedback and replies from the

feedback questionnaires the placements have fulfilled

the expectations of the participants.

Here are a few comments from the feedback

questionnaires: “I learnt a LOT! How to make nice interactive, fresh

displays of medieval and medieval style things. It’s

easier to list things I didn’t find amazing, because there

aren’t such!” participant from Häme to Setomaa about

work shop at Vastseliina castle for the entrepreneurs.

“I have a good feeling about being on the right road in

my business. I just recently started making products on

my farm and am interested in working on being a farm

that welcomes tourists. At Hakola Farm I had an

opportunity to see that this can be successful”

participants from Saaremaa to Häme about what was

learnt.

“I sensed differences in our cultures, now I can

understand Finnish customers better” participant from

Vorumaa to Häme about what were the most valuable

parts of the placement program

The rest of the placements will be during spring

2013.

NEW IDEAS, GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS AND NETWORKING

Text: Jaana Räisänen (Project Manager, Häme Development Centre Ltd)

Placement program In July 2012

Placement program In August 2012 : Workshop dinner at local food restaurant Maunviljelijät with food designer Pirjo Päivärintä

InFAcTo-project E-newsletter Page 11 InFAcTo-project E-newsletter

Our first placement of Seto entrepreneurs within the

InFAcTo project was to the Häme region in Finland. This

was rather a test run for placements as we had little idea

of how well it would go and the people who took part felt a

little bit like guinea pigs!

The first night we spent at the Hotel Emilia in

Hämeenlinna (this is also the place where 2 of our partici-

pants did their placement), it is a small and cosy hotel in

the city centre. The participants were very impressed by

the level of service offered by the staff of the Hotel and

everyone was kind and polite, especially in the morning at

breakfast where the waitresses were smiling etc. (you

don’t see that in lot of hotels). The girls who did their

placement at the hotel said everyone talked passionately

about their work and were happy to work there, the staff

were very open about their work, they kept the Hotel very

clean, and were very helpful etc.

One participant (Laivi Mesikäpp from Setomaa Turismi-

talo) was based at the Hotel Emilia (and later transferred

to a restaurant owned by the same company). She was

surprised that the Hotel was fully booked most of the time

and that most clients were regular buyers. Here she

learned how a large restaurant works and afterwards said

she felt that her placement should have been longer (10

days), because there was so much to see and experi-

ence. Later other participants also said, that placements

could have been for a longer period. This is a learning

point for other projects in the future.

Our second participant from Setomaa was Teele Kotov

from Värska Spa. Her placement

was in the Kiipula Rehabilitation

Centre, near Hämeen-linna. Teele

was also very happy with the place-

ment, not only because she got to

practice her Finnish language skills

but she also saw many interesting

aspects about how a company, simi-

lar to the Värska Spa, works in

Finland. She found that the busi-

ness environment was quite differ-

ent from that in Setomaa (other Es-

tonian participants, from Võrumaa

and Saaremaa, similarly remarked

on how the work place environment was different). There

was a lot less stress and worries for Finnish workers be-

cause they don’t have so many responsibilities, they don’t

do overtime etc. The Estonians were also surprised at

how much support is provided by the country for compa-

nies- they can train their staff a lot.

The third participant from Setomaa was Mariana

Laanemäe. Her placement was with Jaana Räisänen at

Häme Development Ltd. (Kehittämiskeskus Oy) the lead

partner of the InFAcTo project. Her placement allowed her

to see how a large company is managed and how differ-

ent tourism departments all work together. It was very

useful experience, because Mariana was still a beginner

in project management in that point.

The participants also all had company visits. They were

all surprised to see how great a proportion of the total cli-

ent base were from businesses and also that most of the

companies they visited were fully booked all year round.

Although they were physically very close to each other,

they all had clients and what was especially surprising for

the Estonian group was that the companies were cooper-

ating with each other even though they might also be

competitors. That usually never happens in Estonia.

During the last 2 nights they stayed in Aulanko Camping.

Participants were a little surprised at the camping houses;

it was like going back in time J, no renovations had been

made and so on. However the owner was really helpful

and organised extra services (including their transfer to

the railway station) so there were no bad feelings about

the place.

The Finnish partners also organised

a reception in Häme town hall for the

visitors where they met with a num-

ber of other entrepreneurs some of

whom later visited Setomaa.

In conclusion everything went well

and the placements were highly suc-

cessful.

Further placements are planned and

it is hoped the Estonians can give

the same welcome to the Finnish

entrepreneurs when they visit Seto-

maa.

PLACEMENT PROGRAM Setomaa first placement report 16th to 21st of April 2012

Text: Marjana Laanemäe (Union of Rural Municipalities of Setomaa)


During the week of 2nd to 7th of July 2012 another three

Setomaa handicraft ladies (Sirje Pakler, Sirje Laanemäe

and Aino-Maria Helm) visited the Häme region. The ladies

had become very interested in the placement programme

and the opportunities it offered for learning new things.

Sirje Pakler is the founder-manager of “Meieselt Meroos”

community handicraft club and has been working in handi-

crafts for most of her life. She likes to keep herself busy

and has arranged handicraft theme summer courses called

“Midri Ait” and also sings in Seto choir. She has taught in

Finland and previously was headmistress of Nursi school.

Aino-Maria Helm is Sirje Pakler’s right-hand lady in mana-

ging the Meroos community. She does handicraft, mostly

patchwork and sewing and also sings in Seto choir. In her

spare time she gives gymnastics lessons (something in

between yoga and pilates). Sirje Laanemäe - works from

home while helping her husband with bee keeping. She

has worked for many years in the tourism sector, as a

weaver with the UKU company, at Setomaa Turismitalo

and she has travelled extensively throughout Russia.

The “Meieselt Meroos” community organises a big event in

springtime called “Rose day,” where the handicrafts pre-

sented are themed around roses. They make a range of

handicraft items including patchwork (such as blankets),

glass: including stained glass and melting technique, silk

painting (scarves and more), felting, handmade paper and

cards/invitations, bead jewelry, cross-cutting themes in

addition to the rose theme are a national theme and a Seto

theme (in different techniques). There are also a number of

additional handicraft workshops throughout the year where

the sell their products.

Their first visit was an introduction to the Wetterhoff-house.

As they made their way through the

house they met the various artists

and handicraft people who worked

there. They had the history of the

house explained to them and were

shown a project activities presenta-

tion “ Creative space”, they learned

about the artisan nature of the handi-

crafts and saw how handicraft people

were gathered under one roof. They

have studios and little shops where

they could sell the merchandise. The

ladies discovered how much more advanced in this respect

they are in Häme compared with in Setomaa.

Next the group visited Hovinkartano Art Centre based in an

old manor house, where they have a different set of work-

shops. It was here that they spent the rest of their place-

ments. In the range of houses adjacent to the main house,

there are artisan studios where you can do things with

crafts or merely buy the products. The working atmosphere

of the art centre where one can work with handicrafts and

see what other handicraft makers are doing was very inter-

esting. First they had a pottery course were they made

flower shaped plates. The following workshop was glass

pearl making, after the artisan showed them how to do it

using the glass making machine and this really made an

impression on them. Later they had the opportunity to

make some glass beads themselves and after returning to

Setomaa they designed a project to obtain a machine for

their own craft community. It is hoped it will be installed in

time for this years Rose Day event and they will run a glass

bead workshop their too. Their final workshop at Hovinkar-

tano was rose painting on wood and canvas.

The ladies were invited to join the Art Centre poetry night

and were also asked if they would like to decorate the

room and coffee table with flowers, fabrics and antique

objects and put their own handicrafts and honey on display

for sale.

In summary the feedback on the placement was very good.

The highlight of the visit was the Wetterhoff house, where

all artisans have their studios and little shops together un-

der one roof. They would like to be able to do the same in

Setomaa one day. They were very impressed at how open

the Finnish entrepreneurs were with regard to their tech-

niques and products, offering to let

the visitors do pictures, showing

them their pricing etc. This was very

different from the Estonian way

where they are too keen to keep their

techniques secret etc.

They returned with some great ideas

for how to organise their Rose Day

for 2013 and to invite their Finnish

hosts and the Häme region handi-

craft makers and artisans to the

handicraft day.

PLACEMENT PROGRAM Setomaa second placement report 2nd to 7th of July 2012

Text: Marjana Laanemäe (Union of Rural Municipalities of Setomaa)


5th BALTIC SEA TOURISM FORUM - Tourism Cooperation in the EU Programme Period 2014-2020 -

Rostock/Germany, 14-15 November 2012

The 5th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum was held on the

14th & 15th November 2012 in Rostock / Mecklenburg-

Vorpommern .

The forum’s aim was to further strengthen the coop-

eration between the Baltic Sea Region countries and

focused on the contribution of tourism to economic

development in the Baltic Sea region in relation to the

Europe 2020 strategy and the perspectives for a

closer cooperation of tourism stakeholders in the area

during the next EU programming period 2014-2020.

The InFAcTo Project was represented at the Forum by project partners from Häme Development Centre

(Jaana Räisänen, Anne Ojanen and Leena Puu-

malainen), from Häme University of Applied Sciences

(Merja Helin and Kirsi Meriläinen) and from Estonian

Rural Tourism Organisation (Raili Mengel-Sünt).

The project manager Jaana Räisänen presented the

InFAcTo Project aims, activities and future plans.


Infacto project presentation at the Forum (Germany)

InFAcTo Project Manager presentation at the Forum (Germany) Participants at the Forum (Germany)


PROJECT PARTNERS MEETINGS Year 2012

With the aim of ensuring smooth running of the project

in terms of administration, planning and conducting

the project activities in line with the original project

application, the InFAcTo project team of 13 partners

in Finland and Estonia formed a coordination group

with members from each partner at the outset of the

project.

During 2012 there were 5 coordination meetings, which were held in Helsinki, Tallinn, Setomaa,

Hämeenlinna and Pärnu.

In response to accelerating work activity in the project

it was agreed at the Pärnu coordination group

meeting to form subgroups in order to focus more

closely on specific project related developments.

Subgroups created were: • marketing

• final seminar

• educator network

• press and tour operator familiarisation trips

• partner benchmarking trip

Meeting in Hämenlinna (Finland) 17.-18.09.2012


Meeting in Setomaa (Estonia) 11.-12.04.2012

Cooperation project between the two countries


Meeting in Helsinki (Finland) 20.01.2012


EDITOR: Estonian Rural Tourism Organisation, Phone: +372 600 9999; E-mail: [email protected]

Lead partner Häme Development Centre OY (Development Centre Ltd Häme) Talaskuja 3, 13200 Hämeenlinna, Finland Leena Puumalainen Phone: +358 400997914 [email protected]

InFAcTo Project manager Jaana Räisänen Phone: +358 503454933 [email protected] www.kehittamiskeskus.fi

HAMK Univeristy of Applied Sciences PL 230, 13101 Hämeenlinna, Finland Merja Helin Phone: +358 36466908 [email protected] www.hamk.fi

Kiipula Foundation / Kiipula Centre for Vocational Education and Rehabilitation Kiipulantie 507,14200 Turenki, Finland Pirjo Alijärvi Phone: +358 368521 [email protected] www.kiipula.fi

Tavastia Vocational College Hattelmalantie 8, 13100 Hämeenlinna, Finland Anssi Kovanen Phone: +358 365811 [email protected] www.kktavastia.fi

Võru County Vocational Training Centre Väimela, 65566 Võru, Estonia Reet Urb Phone: +372 7850822 [email protected] www.vkhk.ee

Kuressaare Regional Training Centre Kohtu 22, 93812 Kuressaare, Estonia Marve Koppel Phone: +372 4524605 [email protected] www.ametikool.ee

Saaremaa Marketing Association Kiratsi kula, 93741 Kaarma vald, Estonia Karen Ann Allas Phone: +372 57852811 [email protected]

Union of Rural Municipalities of Setomaa Obinitsa, 65301 Meremäe vald, Vörumaa, Estonia Mariana Laanemäe Phone: +372 5261581 www.setomaa.ee

Estonian University of Life Sciences Kreutzwaldi 1, 51014 Tartu, Estonia Lea Sudakova Phone: +372 5204112 [email protected] www.emu.ee

Center for Ecological Engineering Tuglase 1-6, 51014 Tartu, Estonia Merit Mikk Phone: +372 7422051 [email protected] www.ceet.ee

Evanter OÜ Roheline 7, 86704 Sindi, Estonia Roger Evans Phone: +372 53999421 [email protected]

NGO Estonian Rural Tourism Vilmsi 53g, 10147 Tallinn, Estonia Raili Mengel-Sünt Phone: +372 6009999 [email protected] www.maaturism.ee

Imago OÜ Filmi 6, 10152 Tallinn, Estonia Erki Kukk Phone: +372 56222998 [email protected] www.imago.ee

PROJECT PARTNERS

www.infactoproject.ewww.infactoproject.ewww.infactoproject.euuu

infacto newsletter no 2

Documents

activity tourism providers

activity tourism packages

local food

exciting food

project team

food tasting

food trail

project placement program