In Punkaharju in Savonlinna, South Savo, the bankruptcy of Hotel Punkaharju and Saimaa Taideluola Retret is being fought out. A couple of multimillion-dollar tourism investments are underway in the area.
Tourism in Punkaharju was hit hard on the eve of the summer season with the bankruptcies of Hotel Punkaharju and Saimaa Taideluola Retret. Despite this, Punkaharju believes in the future of tourism.
Expectations are high for charter flights landing in Savonlinna in the summer. They will also bring international tourists from the Netherlands and Germany to Punkaharju.
The charter flights arriving from Rotterdam in June will be three-way flights, and will continue their journey from Savonlinna to Rovaniemi.
– The groups that come here are not large, but it is extremely important to offer them a great experience. It will spawn larger groups and continuity in the future.
Direct flights between Frankfurt and Savonlinna will start in August. The Savonlinna region will receive four charter flights from Central Europe in August-September.
Neither of the bankruptcies that hit Punkaharju tourism came as a surprise to Markus Kaskinen. He says that the financial difficulties of Hotel Punkaharju and Saimaa Arteluola Retreat have been known for a long time.
Kaskinen believes that the losses due to bankruptcies are temporary.
– I am fully convinced that there will be continuity in these, he says.
Punkaharju is one of the drivers of tourism in the Savonlinna region, and the region is currently investing heavily in tourism.
Metsämuseo Lusto is undergoing a major renovation, and Kruunupuisto’s spa renovation is expected to be completed at the turn of June-July.
– We have many good year-round players here. For example, Lusto and Kruunupuisto are currently undergoing renovations totaling nearly eight million euros, Kaskinen says.
“There are two sides to the coin”
– The cave has been our class excursion destination since elementary school and we have been there a lot anyway.
– There are always two sides to a coin. The years have been difficult, and as an entrepreneur myself, I knew how to expect these unpleasant news. New investments give hope.
– Someone who knows about tourism and what people want.
*You can discuss the topic until Monday, May 8. until 23:00.*