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Finnish culture and traditions are the basic materials for tourism, as well as other national assets such as its forests and ores. Tradition is a free ingredient which is further processed, packaged and exported to the visitors by tourism organizations. Everyone has the possibility to enjoy the culture, when it is practiced, interpreted and applied in product development, marketing and hospitality. The ingredients of cultural tourism have limitless amounts of different interpretations of time for people, customs and stories. Whether Finland's product is an industrially produced trendy package, design and art, or home made traditional crafts, depends on the size of the company and strategy. Companies make their decisions with the aim to achieve profits. The national and regional structures provide master plans to support the activities of enterprises.
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The cultural and intellectual demarcation is a topical issue in Finland. The image of Finland is considered in Eurovision song contest deals, Berlusconi pizza menus, wife carrying competitions, artists' views of Finland and the brand team appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tourists always form their own subjective picture when they buy the products that they need to document their trips. A life-time is not a renewable resource, and the tourist wants to document it in a tangible form, the tourist wants to hold the object in his/her hands. The tourist wants to have a souvenir to exhibit memories of the time on holidays. He/she has to get a grip of time, and for that a thing is needed.
“Our ancestors created the first tools to chop meat, bones and wood. It was this increasing dependency on the things we create that makes us humans different from all other animals. Our ability to make objects allowed humans to adapt to a multitude of environments and spread...” (Neil MacGregor: A History of the World in 100 Objects, The British Museum and BBC4, 2010).
Arts and crafts that are on sale for travellers are part of the modern experience economy, and the products' authenticity and high quality should not be compromised.
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6.1.5. Sustainable Cultural Tourism | 6.2.1. The Iron Age |
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