This is short view to White Road project: White Road project's objective is to increase inbound tourism in Kainuu, Oulu Region and the Republic of Karelia by creating new, high quality travel products that correspond to the requirements of and are easily obtainable by the modern customer from Russia, Finland or Central Europe. As a network, new travel products and services can in turn be marketed as new trans-border Touristic Routes which facilitate the trans-border visit enhancing the attractiveness of the region within domestic market and act as an add-on for the foreign tourist. This will be implemented by co-operation between active tourism entrepreneurs on both sides of the border the focus being in the joint development of services and products as well as joint marketing actions and novel marketing methods (e-solutions, social media).

1. White Road
Cross-border Tourism Development
in Northern Finland and the Republic
of Karelia
Project Manager
Petri Muje
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2. White Road KA325
The main objective of the White Road project is to
tighten cross-border co-operation between the
tourist companies (and public authorities in the
tourism), develop high quality products and
enhance marketing activities.
These activities will increase inbound tourism in
the project area and promote the development of
new jobs in the tourism sector.
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3. White Road – project priorities
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Priorities ->
Horizontal I
Priorities v
Strengthening
And Creation of Networks
Joint Marketing
Activities;
marketing the
Region
Development of
tourism related
expertise
- Ecologically
and socially
sustainable
Tourism (nature
and culture
based tourism )
- Security and
Safety of the
cross-border
Tourism (as a
Part of Quality)
- New business
partnership between the
tourism companies;
Networking
events
- Development
Proposals for
administration
- Common marketing
strategy
St. Peterburg,
Moscow, Central
Europe and
Southern Finland
• www, some
• Tourism
exhibitions
• Test trips for
travel agents and
media
- Training
seminars
- Benchmarking
trips/Study
tours
- Thematic
vocabulary for
tourism
sector

4. White Road –project
Duration: October 30, 2012 - December 31, 2014
Lead partner: Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
Partners: Russia (7): Karelian Resource Center,
Petrozavodsk (coordinating partner in Russia),
Byelomorsk Metropolitan Area, Kalevala National Area,
Kem Metropolitan Area, Segeza Metropolitan Area,
Kostamuksha Urban District and Louhi Metropolitan Area
Finland (4): Kainuu Vocational Institute, Kajaani; Naturpolis
Oy, Kuusamo: Idän Taiga ry , Kuhmo- Suomussalmi and
Vuokatin matkailukeskus, Sotkamo
Netherlands (1): Voigt Travel
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5. White Road – recent activities
• Seminars (Petrozavodsk 1/2013, Kem 2/2013,
Kuhmo 3/2013, Kostamuksha 5/2013, Kuusamo
10/2013, Vuokatti 10/2013): >300 participants
from >40 companies and >20 public org.
• Reports N.Petrova (Internet marketing),
I.Makkonen (Cooperation between the
companies)
• Creation of tourism information centres (6, RUS)
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6. White Road -recents activities
• Training workshops for administarators of information
centres (RUS)
• Tourism trade fair, Helsinki 16.-19.1.2014
• Marketing and benchmarking visit to Amsterdam, 26.-
30.1.2014
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7. Future project activities
• Research: state-of-the-art of the tourism sector at the
project sector (RUS –ok-)
- FIN report will be finished in April 2014
• Product development and service design workshop
- 23.4. Kostamus, 24.-25.4. Suomussalmi
• Visits to Moscow (tourism fairs) March and September 2014 ?
• Kainuu Helsingissä –event Helsinki 13.-15.6.2014
• 2014 the focus on travel agencies + media (test and
show trips)
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8. White Road KA325
• Communication
- Newspapers, tv, radio
- Cooperation between other (ENPI) projects:
Salla Gate (Kolarctic), Mining Road, Smart E-tourism,
Hostelranta, OMK –route
- Tourist Information Centers (RUS)
- Web-pages -> cooperation between the companies
and already established web-pages !!!
- exhibitions, seminars, ECD etc.
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