During the Sustainable Coastal Tourism webinar Andrea Ullius talked about the unique selling points of the Bothnian Bay coastal area. He’s a travel journalist from Switzerland, who has travelled along the Bothnian Bay coastal route.
According to Ullius many people talk about sustainability, but few takes action. He also pointed out that most of the sustainability certificates are not familiar to the travellers.
– Travel is never sustainable; you have your footprint. The question is, how can you offer products that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable? Ullius emphasized.
Ullius pointed out that it’s very important to support the small and family-owned businesses in the area. The travellers want to meet the locals and hear their stories. According to Ullius, the region can even more effectively involve the travellers with the local people, and their activities.
Unique combination of cities, landscapes, islands, and beaches
Ullius described that the Bothnian Bay coastal area offers a perfect mix of nature experiences and city feeling. Each larger city in the area, such as Vaasa, Umeå, and Oulu, has unique sites and activities to offer. There’s also UNESCO world heritage sites, and many cultural attractions in the region.
– There’s variable and breath-taking scenery in the area. There’s many lakes, rivers, and beaches. The sand beaches are very special. The combination of cities, landscapes, and islands is exciting and unique.
– The tourism must be in harmony with the nature and the people. It’s fascinating to see that the tourism grows in this region.
The Bothnian Coastal Route project, including northern Finnish and Swedish destinations, aims to increase awareness of the coastal route around the Bothnian Bay and over the Kvarken strait as an attractive travel route for both international tourists and locals.
Watch the webinar recording HERE.
Read more about the Bothnian Coastal Route project HERE.
Travel journalist Andrea Ullius was one of the speakers during the Interreg Aurora project Bothnian Coastal Route’s Sustainable Coastal Tourism webinar.
