“More than roofs and walls” – companies on what the Bothnian Coastal Route has changed

Marita Sikku, founder of Dálvvas Sámi Culture Experience, shared how the BCR project helped her grow from zero bookings to more than 700 pre-booked guests for 2026.

A panel discussion in Oulu brought together companies from both Finland and Sweden to discuss what the Bothnian Coastal Route project has meant in practice – and what still needs to happen now that the project comes to an end.

From hotels and restaurants to Sámi experiences, unique local accommodations and the Wasaline ferry, one message kept coming back: the project has generated real business, new markets and stronger cross-border networks.

From zero to 750 pre-booked guests

For Marita Sikku, founder of Dálvvas Sámi Culture Experience, the impact has been dramatic. When she started her Sámi-owned company less than a year ago, she offered authentic food and culture for day visitors. Through Bothnian Coastal Route, she joined sales events and fam trips with tour operators from Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux.

In Oulu she could share concrete numbers:

“When I started last year, I had no bookings, I just started with daily guests. This year I already have around 750 pre-bookings for next year.”

Marita emphasised that sustainable tourism for her means respect for nature and culture and ensuring that Sámi culture has “a real place in tourism”. The cooperation within the Bothnian Coastal Route helps her reach international guests who look precisely for that type of locally rooted, low-impact experiences on both sides of the border.

Learning from each other – also in the kitchen

From Kalajoki, Hanna Saari represented Hiekkadyyni Oy, with several restaurants, venues and a microbrewery. She has long experience in tourism and food, but the cross-border exchange in Bothnian Coastal Route still changed how her company thinks.

Visiting partners on the Swedish side made her team realise two things:

• The local ingredients and food culture around the Bothnian Bay are strong enough to carry a clear identity.
• Swedish partners had come further in building close partnerships with small local producers – something Kalajoki now wants to prioritise.

As Hanna explained:

“The biggest realisation for us was that our own ingredients, our local ingredients, are interesting enough. We want to work much more closely with small local producers and make sure our food, and drinks really reflect this region.”

Hanna Saari from Hiekkadyyni Oy described how cross-border exchange strengthened their focus on local ingredients and producer partnerships.

Small steps, big leaps in sustainability

For Örjan Pekka from the Arctic Mansion, the sustainability advisory session within Bothnian Coastal Route was “very helpful”. With long experience of sustainability work, he describes his approach as taking “a thousand small steps” rather than waiting for big leaps.

One concrete outcome from the advisory session was a clear task:

“I was advised to list all the laws and regulations that steer my business. It’s a massive job, so the idea is to do it together with a student as an exam project.”

Örjan explained that sustainability work is a continuous process of small, practical improvements. His company already uses fossil-free diesel and more environmentally friendly detergents, and he hopes to move to electric snowmobiles once the technology becomes viable for commercial use. He also underlined how important networking and trust are when companies recommend each other across the Bothnian Bay — “we are in the trust business,” as he put it. “If I send guests to another company and they fail, then I am the one who did wrong in the eyes of my guests.”

Wasaline: “We need more than ferries – we need reasons”

For Wasaline, the ferry is both a transport link and a product in itself. Head of Sales and Business Development, Niina Jansson described how the project has changed their visibility and business:

“Bothnian Coastal Route has had a significant impact on our visibility We have of course had international guests before, but this has opened new markets and new opportunities.”

Traditionally, Finnish passengers see cruising as a summer product. Through the Bothnian Coastal Route cooperation, the route has had a new meaning also as a part of winter products. International guests want to experience exotic winter time with ice, snow, and even northern lights.

Niina gave a concrete example from last winter: when northern lights appeared, the crew turned off the ship’s lights so guests could enjoy the aurora from the outer deck – something that would be difficult for a much larger operator to do.

Still, she was clear that the ferry alone is not enough:

“International clients don’t come to us because we have a ferry. They come because we can link two countries and help them experience this whole area. It’s more than “roof and walls”.

“No reason to stop now”

Rik Tuinstra, Noorderhuis, highlighted the region’s greatest strength: its authenticity and sense of calm.

Asked what should happen after the project, all panellists agreed: the cross-border cooperation must continue.

Niina pointed out that many EU-funded projects end with “more awareness” but few commercial results. Here, the situation is different: “In this project we have got concrete results – new contacts, bookings and more business. It would be a waste to stop now.”

In their closing reflections, several speakers also stressed the need to protect what makes the region unique. As Belgian product specialist Rik Tuinstra, Digital Marketer from Noorderhuis put it, the Bothnian Coastal Route gives visitors something many of them secretly long for:

“When I came here, I felt a sense of rest in my body within 24 hours.

Please preserve that feeling – don’t go for mass tourism. That is what makes this region so special.”

The Oulu seminar marked not a conclusion, but a transition. The project webpage, the B2B platform at bothniancoastalroute.com now provide a common base for continued promotion, development and cross-border cooperation across the Bothnian Bay.
Visitors, locals and the international travel trade can explore the route through the project’s marketing website bothniancoastalroute.com, which features places to visit, regional films and practical tools for planning a trip. The project’s achievements can also be viewed in the BCR results film (LINK) and on kvarken.org.

Panelists from the Bothnian Bay region highlighting new opportunities, sustainability insights and strengthened collaboration across the Kvarken strait and around the Bothnian Bay. Claudio P Nielsen, Vice President of Delta of Scandinavia, Rik Tuinstra, Digital Marketer, NOORDERHUIS, Pentti Säkkinen, Sales Manager, Lapland Hotels Oulu, Marita Sikku, owner of Dálvvas Sámi Culture Experience, Luleå, Örjan Pekka, owner/storyteller of Filipsborg, the Arctic Mansion, Kalix, Hanna Saari, Hiekkadyyni Oy, Kalajoki, Niina Jansson, Head of Sales and Business Development, Wasaline

Briefly about Bothnian Coastal Route (BCR)

The purpose of the project is to make the coastline of northern Finland and Sweden a well-known destination with its unique nature and cultural heritage. Through joint marketing, the development of new travel packages, and investments in sustainability, the project has created conditions for more travelers to discover the entire coast – and to stay longer in the region.

Read more about the project HERE kvarken.org/en/project/bothnian-coastal-route/

Discover the marketing webpage: www.bothniancoastalroute.com

Project period: 1.1.2023–31.12.2025

Project partners:

Kvarken Council EGTC (lead partner and coordinating beneficiary), City of Kalajoki, Luleå Business Region AB and Luleå Municipality, City of Oulu/BusinessOulu, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK, Visit Skellefteå AB, and Visit Umeå AB.

Financiers:

Interreg Aurora, Regional Council of Lapland, Region Västerbotten, Kvarken Council EGTC, Umeå Municipality, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK, City of Kalajoki, Luleå Business Region AB and Luleå Municipality, City of Oulu/BusinessOulu, Visit Skellefteå AB, City of Vaasa, Kokkola Tourism Ltd, Municipality of Haparanda for Haparanda/Tornio, Bothnian Arc, City of Jakobstad, Piteå Municipality, Kemi Tourism Ltd, NLC Ferry Ab Oy.