Digital transformation: A penetrating force whose effects extend across the board. Online information is constantly available to the customer before, during and after the trip. New digital ecosystems are emerging all the time. Real-time capability, increase in recommendation marketing, artificial intelligence, virtual tourism, gamification and visuality all serve as a new language for tourism. The importance of data and analytics in strategic decisions is growing. The platform economy has created new players, such as Airbnb.
Value orientation: Responsibility and ethical values are becoming global megatrends of consumption, and individuals’ personal values are increasingly important.
Growing individuality: Individual freedom and the opportunity for self-expression are increasingly important. People want to emphasise their personality and are constantly looking for new opportunities for it through products and services. The trend of growing individuality is also reinforced by the increased choice of products and services and by the expanding possibilities for individually customised solutions. Increasing individuality in tourism means, among other things, decreasing popularity of traditional group trips. In addition to millennials, individuality is also valued by, for example, Asian tourists, whose numbers and economic impact are constantly increasing. The number of Chinese tourists in particular continues to grow strongly worldwide.
Environmental awareness and climate change: The concern about climate change has reached almost everyone, and environmentally conscious choices are increasingly important. Climate change will create an even greater need for year-round activity services. Local tourism is also growing. In addition, emissions can be reduced by increasing the length of stay of tourists at one site. In tourism, this is reflected in, for example, the growing popularity of sustainable tourism.
Sustainable tourism: According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism refers to tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts. Sustainable tourism addresses the needs of tourists, the tourism industry, the environment and the local community alike. Sustainable tourism can be analysed through three aspects. Sustainable tourism…
- optimises the use of environmental resources, which are a key part of tourism development, maintains essentialecological processes, helps conserve natural heritage and biodiversity and minimises the negative environmental impacts of tourism.
- respects the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, preserves the built, living cultural heritage and traditional values and promotes intercultural understanding and tolerance.
- ensures viable long-term economic activities that offer benefits for all stakeholders, including stable employment conditions and livelihoods. In addition, sustainable tourism contributes to the well-being of the local community and reduces economic inequality.
The three dimensions of sustainable development must be balanced in order to ensure long-term sustainability.
Changing and fragmented demand: Millennials are constantly dealing with foreign languages and cultures and are keen to share information. They are highly individualistic and family-oriented, while older generations feel a sense of solidarity with their extended family and with the citizens of their own country. Millennials have liberal values. They spend money instead of saving, and travel is one important form of consumption. Millennials are looking for authentic experiences and adventures. They are digital natives for whom information technology is a matter of course and who value responsibility.
As demand becomes fragmented, service expectations are even more divided. Tourists are more demanding and more cost-conscious. Travel is a means of expressing personal status and identity. Trends include Snacking (short holidays, lots of experiences, efficient use of time), Staycation (holidaying close to home), DIY (do it yourself) and Workcation and Bleisure, which combine work and leisure.
Growing and advancing Tampere: By 2030, Tampere aims to be an appealing and lively city with 300,000 inhabitants, and the most attractive city of experiences in the Nordic countries. The aim is to be the European Capital of Culture in 2026. The Five-star City Centre vision is to create preconditions for 15,000 new residents and 15,000 new jobs in between 2015 and 2030.
- The Tampere Deck Arena will be a new landmark and world-class event arena right in the city centre. The entire Deck project will involve approximately EUR 500 million of investments, with a total area of 120,000 floor square metres, and the Arena is aimed to have more than 1 million visitors per year. The Deck Arena will act as a multi-purpose arena for 15,000 event-goers or 13,000 ice hockey match-goers. There will also be a 285-room hotel, the second casino in Finland, 1,000 homes and the potential for a total of 1,250 jobs.
- The railway station area will be developed into the Tampere station centre, the first two parts of which are expected to have approximately 200,000 floor square metres. This area is planned to have around 3,000 jobs and 2,500 occupants as well as a modern transport and service centre.
- The tram will increase the city’s appeal and improve the accessibility of city centre destinations.
- Särkänniemi, one of the most popular family destinations in Finland, will become an even more diverse focus of year-round tourism, with the aim of being a top destination of sustainable tourism and great experiences.
- Tampere Congress & Events District (Tampere CED) already offers dozens of event spaces for tens of thousands of visitors in the immediate vicinity of the Deck Arena.
- Overnight stays at accommodation establishments in Tampere have grown continuously for the last 5 years, and the growth is expected to continue.