CIRCULATOUR – Low-waste and resource-smart tourism for NPA communities
The project will develop and test circular solutions to shared tourism challenges in the Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA). The aim is to accelerate the transition to a circular, resource-efficient tourism economy in the NPA by improving visitor flow management, reducing resource use and adapting to climate change.C
Growing interest in “coolcation” tourism is creating opportunities for the NPA as climate change and overtourism affect destinations elsewhere. However, changing visitor numbers and seasonal patterns are placing increasing pressure on sensitive ecosystems, local infrastructure and community wellbeing in rural areas. Although circular practices are widely applied, they remain fragmented and are not consistently shared across regions, limiting their wider impact.
The project will address this gap by jointly developing, testing and sharing solutions across regions. It will deliver three key outputs: a visitor flow prediction model, circular smart destination maps and transferable circular tourism guidelines. These outputs will benefit public authorities, DMOs, SMEs and visitors by supporting better anticipation of visitor demand, resource planning and the adoption of circular practices. A transnational living-lab approach will bring project partners and local tourism stakeholders together to test solutions in real-world settings across Arctic, island, coastal and rural contexts.
In the Mikkeli region, the pilot will explore circular tourism solutions, with a focus on developing a sustainable tourism model that other destinations can adapt. As a local pilot partner, MikseiMikkeli will support the preservation of the Astuvansalmi Rock Paintings and the natural environment of Saimaa while minimizing the negative impacts of growing tourism.
MikseiMikkeli will lead the establishment of a regional Circular Destination Planning Lab, engaging local tourism stakeholders in its activities. It will also contribute local data and work with the other project partners to test and adapt circular tourism practices. The pilot will contribute to the project’s shared tools and guidelines.
The project is led by South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. The partnership comprises seven organizations from Finland, Sweden, Greenland, Iceland and Ireland.
