The national AGORA workshops in Finland, delivered by GreenEscape Oy, brought together rural tourism entrepreneurs, farmers, local food producers, educators and community actors, international travel agents and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) from across the country to explore how regenerative tourism can strengthen Finnish destinations. The sessions focused on communication, promotion and co-design, equipping participants with practical tools to create community-based experiences that support ecological restoration, local culture and long-term wellbeing.
Spread across two online workshops, the participants examined how storytelling, seasonal rhythms and community engagement can turn existing tourism offers into regenerative experiences. Case studies from across Finland, including the Finnish Lakeland regions, particularly those highlighting nature-based food traditions and local cultural practices, helped ground the discussions in real contexts. Using story circles, design sprints and collaborative group work, participants developed new experience concepts and reimagined existing offers with stronger links to local ecosystems and community needs.
A standout outcome was the co-design of a Vuosikello which means seasonal “year-clock” in Finnish; a tool that aligns tourism activities with the rhythms of Finnish nature. Participants mapped how tourism can follow natural cycles: planting and trail care in spring, festivals and biodiversity mentoring in summer, foraging and harvest preservation in autumn, and crafts, storytelling and cultural activities in winter. This model highlights how travellers can become active contributors to local wellbeing and not just observers.
A strong theme across the sessions was the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Farmers, educators, guides, entrepreneurs and travel agents worked side-by-side, gaining a clearer understanding of how regeneration becomes possible when the whole tourism value chain is involved. Participants also expressed interest in continuing the collaboration through a shared network to support future project development and capacity-building.
The Finnish workshops show how deeply rooted place-based knowledge, seasonal traditions and community participation can drive regenerative tourism in practice. The outcomes and prototypes from these sessions will feed into AGORA’s digital platform and be shared across partner regions enabling more communities and operators to adopt a similar mindset and design process. These insights will support AGORA’s broader efforts to advance regenerative tourism across Europe and encourage further experimentation within Finland’s diverse regions.
