Photo. Get in ultimate contact with the wild life in Finland, and venture some steps further in the countries magical forests.
Finland is one of the last frontiers in Europe for experiencing wild animals in their natural habitat. Wild Taiga offers travellers to do it safely in the presence of a trained guide.
According to the tourist organisation in Finland, VisitFinland (www.VisitFinland.com) - see article: Wild Taiga-article Visit Finland, (Ministry of Employment and the Economy, 03.06.2008), in the Destination of Excellence in Finland (DEEF) competition, Wild Taiga has been selected as Finland’s emerging tourist destination 2008, highlighting the local culture and way of life. Stefan Wallin, Minister of Culture and Sport, announced the winner 3 June 2008 at a tourism seminar in Helsinki.
Photo. The King of the Forest. (coming up photo).
A total of 29 Finnish tourist destinations participated in the competition, in which the other contestants in the top three were the Charms of Saimaa in Southern Savo and the Finnish Stone Center & Koli in North Karelia. Wild Taiga operates in the Kajaani Region, Kainuu, in the municipalities of Kuhmo and Suomussalmi in North-Eastern Finland.
The DEEF competition is part of the European Commission's European Destinations of Excellence project, now being held for the second time. Twenty member countries are participating in the competition, Finland being involved for the first time. The national competition is organised by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE), the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Lapland Centre of Expertise for the Experience Industry (LEO).
In Finland, a total of 29 tourism destinations around the country participated. The top six contestants were selected for closer examination, including Niinisaari – an idyllic archipelago in Puumala, Kalevala Spirit and SaimaaHoliday in addition to Wild Taiga, the Charms of Saimaa and the Finnish Stone Center & Koli. The number of destinations participating in the competition exceeded the organisers’ expectations.
Wild Taiga will be presented, and receive the award as the Finnish winner, at the European Tourism Forum event in Bordeaux, France, 18–19 September, together with 19 other European destinations. The winner will also be entitled to use the title ‘Finland’s emerging destination 2008’ and will enjoy visibility in e.g. Finnish and European tourism portals alongside the possibility to develop further as part of the network of European tourist destinations.
Stein Morten Lund, 12 July 2008
(based on information from VisitFinland)
Additional information
Website: www.VisitFinland.com
Kirsi Meriläinen, Project Manager, tel. +358 50 026 0166, kirsi.merilainen(at)leofinland.fi,
Lea Häyhä, Senior Specialist, MEE, tel. +358 10 606 2143, lea.hayha(at)tem.fi
Wild Taiga`s website: http://www.wildtaiga.fi/eng/?
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