Growing Lake and Nature Tourism in Finland
Sonja Sulankivi, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Experience Economy @TUNI programme, took part in the event Growth from Lake and Nature Tourism – Tools and Support for Business Development, organised by the City of Tampere and Visit Tampere on 27 October 2026. The event brought together entrepreneurs, experts and other stakeholders in the lake and nature tourism sector in the Pirkanmaa region to discuss market developments, business growth and available support opportunities.
In her presentation, Sonja explored how nature tourism businesses can stand out in a world where experiences seem to be available everywhere. The experience economy is growing globally, yet the market is becoming increasingly polarised between large-scale spectacles and easily accessible digital experiences that are quickly consumed and forgotten. Between these extremes lies the so-called Missing Middle: a space for accessible, meaningful and locally rooted experiences that offers interesting opportunities for lake and nature tourism.
The presentation explored what makes a nature-based experience meaningful and how experiences can be intentionally designed. The STEEM framework approaches experience design through five dimensions: social connections, temporality, embodiment, emplacement, and multisensory engagement. These dimensions help businesses reflect on the experiences they offer and consider how local nature, environments and culture can become integral to creating distinctive customer value.
A central question is what customers take home with them. Beyond the visit itself and the photographs, an experience might offer a new skill, a meaningful memory, new connections or an opportunity to see everyday life differently. Such transformative outcomes can become an important source of sustainable competitive advantage for nature tourism businesses.
The visit provided an opportunity to bring perspectives from experience economy research into the development of lake and nature tourism in the Pirkanmaa region and to explore opportunities for collaboration between research and businesses.
Thanks for the invitation!
