Sustainability

Sustainability in year-round tourism

We invite you to visit the world´s happiest country and enjoy the purest air in the world. We believe that the reason for our happiness is that we are close to nature in every way. Our relationship with nature is important to us and everyone cherishes it in their own way. We enjoy being outside all year round and make the most of the different seasons. The air we breathe and the water we swim in is clean. Finns go to nature at certain intervals, their second homes are located in the forest or by the water. We feel like we are healing in nature and recharging our batteries from nature. Nature plays a big role in terms of our well-being. 

As Finns, we also value silence and the subtle sounds of nature. Another factor affecting happiness is the feeling of security and equality that we Finns get to experience in our country. Here everyone gets to be themselves, people have the same opportunities regardless of gender, skin color, etc. We want to offer our guests the same experience when they visit us. Kemi Tourism Ltd. offers services that are carefully developed, of good quality, plus the nature is always present in our services. We draw specifically from snow, ice and the sea.

Year-round-tourism

Developing year-round tourism and increasing the number of stays are the current goals, which also support the sustainable operation of tourism. In January 2023, Kemi has been chosen as the second best tourist area in Finland. The criteria used in the selection were the most important factors that measure the success of tourism: the development of the number of guests arriving at registered accommodation establishments, the development of tourists’ stays, the even distribution of the number of overnight stays by vacationers in different months, i.e. the lack of seasonal fluctuations, and accommodation sales per inhabitant. The comparison includes all Finnish municipalities, regional municipalities and provinces from which accommodation statistics are available. There were a total of 127 areas in the comparison. 

In recent years, Kemi Tourism Ltd. has strongly focused on the development of year-round services. The restaurant, meeting, experience and accommodation services of the SnowCastle area are available in every season.

Energy solutions

We strive for environmentally friendly and energy-saving measures every day of the year, in everything we do. Before, we built a Snow Castle in the winter months using sea water and ice. The castle melted away in the spring, returning to where it was born, i.e. the sea. We still build from the snow in the winter, but over the years we have worked consistently, developing year-round operations. Nowadays, the SnowCastle area is a versatile set of services serving all year round.

During the construction phase of the SnowCastle area, we wanted to design the energy solutions to be responsible and efficient. In the area, geothermal heat, ground cold and natural cold are utilized. The heating energy needed by our property is produced by geothermal energy and the cooling energy by geo wells. In addition, there is Lapland’s largest solar power plant on the roof of the main building. There are more than 400 panels and according to the estimate, the total power of the power plant is 140 kWp and the yield on top of 100,000 kWh per year. When we produce utility electricity ourselves with solar panels, we are a self-sufficient energy producer and get financial savings at the same time. 

Waste heat from the kitchen is used e.g. for heating domestic water and the use of water is limited. Our water faucets are water-saving and our Villa guests can use hot water only to a limited extent at a time. We also try to use as little paper as possible in our daily work and we also encourage our customers to recycle in our premises.

We use water responsibly in our everyday activities and encourage our customers to do the same. Our tap water is completely clean and safe to drink, so there is no need for bottled water.

Locality

We try to use a lot of local labor and the expertise of companies in the area. Our villas are built from Finnish log wood and we have bought the interior materials, machinery and equipment from local entrepreneurs. We also cooperate a lot with local educational institutions, the purpose of which is to guide and train young people in the region for working life, and thus to secure the local workforce in the future as well. We offer work for locals in tourism field in every season.

We strive to order the restaurant’s raw materials and other materials and services as close as possible, utilizing local quality and know-how. 

Collaboration

We work in close cooperation with the other service providers here in Sea Lapland. We are also partners and shareholders of Visit Rovaniemi and Visit Oulu. We represent Kemi in Visit Finland areal cooperation and networking. We participate in two Interreg- projects that highlight the sustainability in tourism business. Read more here.

Everyone is welcome

To us, everyone is welcome just as they are, regardless of age, sexual orientation, religion, culture or special needs. The icebreaker Sampo is a ship built in 1960 and moving there is challenging for people with reduced mobility. Our other services are fully accessible.