Health, Wellness and Tourism: healthy tourists, healthy business ...

In tourism marketing Savonlinna has been described as the liveliest and most vibrant
summertime town in Finland. Savonlinna and its surroundings are among our country’s most
popular holiday regions. The lake scenery of Saimaa offers a perfect setting for a cultural, spa,
beach, activity or city holiday – or for a combination of these. Various distinctive boutiques,
idyllic cafes and high-class restaurants, offering friendly service and warm hospitality, add to
the unrivalled charming atmosphere of the Savonlinna region (www.savonlinnatravel.com).
Finnish wellbeing tourism focuses mainly on nature, peace and quietness, activities and also
some cultural offerings (Kangas & Tuohino 2008, Finnish Tourist Board 2008a). This also
applies to Savonlinna. The natural core resources are unspoiled natural environment including
forests, lakes and other waterways, hills and extensive areas of wilderness. In Savonlinna
region are is also four distinct seasons to be exploited in different tourism products. Finnish
wellbeing innovations are generally internationally well known. Sauna and Nordic walking
have notably raised their profile as generally known Finnish products (Finnish Tourist Board
2008a). Both activities are well represented in Savonlinna region. The town has a long history
as a spa tourism destination.
As early as in the 1860s the region of Savonlinna was a popular holiday resort on Lake
Saimaa, attracting visitors from as far afield as St. Petersburg to experience its spa facilities
(Hirn & Markkanen 1987). The spa and casino were built in 1896. In 1898, the casino was
extended. The old spa was destroyed by fire in 1962. Today the Spahotel Casino is in
recreational use and offers wide range of summer activities. However, the old historical spa
image of Savonlinna is more or less a thing of the past and the current tourism image is based
on the Opera Festival and the resources of its lakeland scenery. The recreational use of spas
has replaced the traditional spa culture.
In the vicinity of Savonlinna town there are Linnansaari and Kolovesi aquatic national parks
in year-round use. The nature experiences are supported by high quality self-catering cottage
and hotel accommodation and restaurant and sauna facilities. The municipalities of Kerimäki
and Punkaharju strengthen the image of Savonlinna region as a wellbeing destination due to
two significant rehabilitation centres located in these municipalities.
In surveying the wellbeing companies and their offerings in the Internet Mahkonen (2008)
found 19 companies providing wellbeing tourism services in South Savo province. These
companies have altogether only 56 saleable products in the Internet. Only two of the 19
companies were located in Savonlinna town. In Hook’s survey (2008) only four
wellness/wellbeing products were found in Savonlinna.
Wellbeing tourism is one product theme earmarked for development in the Finnish national
tourism strategy published by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Finnish Tourist Board
2008a). This led to the development of ‘Development strategy for Finnish wellbeing tourism
in international markets, 2009-2013’ in 2008. As the Finnish wellbeing tourism strategy is
quite new, its implementation is still ongoing. There are plans to develop more comprehensive
wellbeing tourism products and services for foreign markets. The vision for Finnish wellbeing
tourism by the Finnish Tourist Board (2008a) is: “Finland is known as a country that can
offer wellbeing, rest, and relaxation. Its wellbeing offering is clearly defined. The offering has
been put together in a manner that is marketable and follows sustainable development. It
comprises packages or modules that are easy to purchase and internationally known.
Wellbeing tourism is a year-round activity that can extend the tourism season in Finland”.