Megatrends such as urbanisation and eco-crises can increase Lapland’s attractiveness as a clean and quiet destination, says futurologist Elina Hiltunen.
– When we think about the future of tourism, we cannot just think about tourism, we have to look at the future of the whole world. We have to think about what can happen in the world that could affect tourism,” Hiltunen said.
According to Hiltunen, anticipating future trends makes it easier to react when situations change quickly, as was the case during the interest rate pandemic. According to Mr Hiltunen, it is already necessary for tourism operators to think about how to prevent and cope with new pandemics.
– “This (corona) is probably not the last pandemic we will experience,” he said.
First came the Japanese, then the Chinese – now we’re waiting for the Indians
Hiltunen envisions that local and nature tourism and responsible tourism will grow even more in the future, and Finland will do well in that competition. He thinks that Lapland’s tourists of the future may be, for example, young people from Africa and Asia.
– Target group changes have already been seen. At one time there were the Japanese, then came the Chinese. First China was completely closed, then they started to travel. Indian travelers can form the next wave of tourists, Hiltunen envisions.
According to Hiltusen, information technology will make future tourism easier when it is possible to predict traffic jams, pricing is adjusted according to demand and supply, and tourists’ satisfaction is assessed using facial recognition methods.
He encouraged tourism companies and organizations to familiarize themselves with weak signals, strange small phenomena that can indicate big changes.
– If the organization detects such in time, it will gain a competitive advantage.