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The Lakesperience project has ended.
Lakesperience
is an international cooperation project between four lake regions in Northern Europe.
Together
we are developing our regions to provide services for lake and cycling tourists.
In short
The Lakesperience project (2018-2020) aims to connect the lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi in Tampere Finland, lakes Åsunden, Järnlunden and Stora Rängen in south of Linköping, Sweden, lake Peipsi in Estonia and lake Burtnieks in Latvia as a joint tourist attraction. The project provides opportunities for lake tourism companies to develop their services especially for the German market. Above all, a joint Nordic-Baltic Lake Trails – marketing message will be created during the project for marketing the lake areas and related tourism products for German tourists.
Each partner location organises local product development workshops for lake tourism companies to develop their services and marketing. The most motivated companies will be provided opportunity to participate also in study tour to Germany where they can meet German tour operators, learn from each other, share experiences and benchmark.
The project will enhance business and marketing cooperation between at least 20 Finnish, 20 Swedish, 15 Estonian and 15 Latvian companies that provide services, such as accommodation, lake related activities, food, drinking, bike and other sport equipment renting, fishing and sauna for tourists.
Duration and budget
Funding by: EU Interreg Central Baltic programme
Project duration: 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020 (36 months)
Total project budget: 1,2 milj. EUR
Total ERDF support: 933 000 EUR
Partners
News
13.11.2020
Lakesperience project is coming to an end
As all good things, also our Lakesperience project is coming to an end. We started our work three years ago and during these three years we have involved around 100 companies providing biking and hiking tourism services to our product development workshops, done two benchmarking trips to Germany, developed the first ever biking and hiking tourism product catalogues, organised several events, increased accessibility to our lakes, developed and created lake tourism products, introduced our lake areas to German market, got to know our partnering lakes and learned a lot from each other. For the final touch, we summed up our thoughts on our three years’ journey to the following videos.
We also encourage you to go and experience the results of our three years’ work to the trails of Kinda Kanal in Sweden, Lake Peipsi in Estonia, PyhäNäsi in Finland and Lake Burtnieks in Latvia!
21.9.2020
Lakesperience takes part IN the European Cooperation Day 26 September
The European Cooperation Day is celebrated every year 21 September and over the weeks surrounding it. The Central Baltic programme joins the celebration as well, but due to COVID-19, celebrating entails (mostly) individual walks and hikes on Central Baltic nature trails.
Lakesperience being one of the CB-funded projects that develops lake trails in the regions, we encourage you to celebrate the European Cooperation Day by hiking or biking on the developed trails on Saturady 26 September. You can also participate in the lottery organized by the Central Baltic Programme by taking photos from the trails and posting them on the Central Baltic’s Instagram with hastags:
#CBwalks #ECDAy2020 #Interreg30 #Lakesperience. More information on the lottery here.
In Estonia, Lakesperience encourages you to hike and bike by lake Peipsi. More information on the routes here.
In Sweden, you can take a hike along one of the paths called Östgötaleden. More information on the activity and link to the map here.
In Latvia, you can take part to a bird watching event and have a walk on one of the Lake Burtnieks trails. More information here. Those interested on cycling, can take a 50km route around the Lake Burtnieks on their own pace. More information about the route here.
In Finland, we encourage you to cycle one of the PyhäNäsi trails in Tampere. Maps and information about the trails here.
More information on the European Cooperation Day can be found from the Central Baltic Programme website or EU funding programmes’ joint website.
2.9.2020
Sales manuals targeted at german tour operators are out
One of the Lakesperience project’s outputs, the sales manuals targeted to German tour operators are out. Sales manuals are the main results of our workshop process on developing biking and hiking services in the
project partners’ regions. These are the first ever sales manual focusing solely on bike trails in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia. The workshop process was conducted during 2018-2019 with the common aim to develop our biking and hiking services for German tourism market. These manuals are utilized during the project’s sales calls in Germany and will remain in use also after the project for B2B marketing.
More information: Jenny Uusikartano jenny.uusikartano@tampere.fi
2.9.2020
Verkaufshandbücher für deutsche Reiseveranstalter sind da
Es ist ein Ziel des Lakesperience-Projektes gewesen, Verkaufshandbücher für deutsche Reiseveranstalter zu erstellen, und jetzt sind sie erschienen. Die Sales-Manuale sind das Hauptergebnis des Workshop-Prozesses, in dem alle Partnerregionen ihr Angebot für Fahrradfahrer und Wanderer entwickelt haben. Zum ersten Mal sind Verkaufshandbücher, die lediglich auf Fahrradreisen in Finnland, Schweden, Estland und Lettland konzentrieren, vorhanden. Der Prozess wurde vom 2018 bis zum 2019 mit einem gemeinsamen Ziel durchgeführt und zwar, das Angebot für Fahrradfahrer und Wanderer des deutschen Tourismusmarktes auszubauen. Während des Projektes werden die Handbücher in Verkaufsgesprächen mit deutschen Reiseveranstalter verwendet, aber sie bleiben auch nach dem Projekt zwecks B2B-Marketings verfügbar.
Lakesperience, eine internationale Zusammenarbeit von vier Seelandschaften in Finnland, Schweden, Estland und Lettland, zielt darauf hin, neue und faszinierende Reiseerlebnisse für naturliebende Touristen aus Deutschland zu entwickeln. Unter dem Slogan Nordic-Baltic Lake Trails bietet Lakesperience erholsame Aktivitäten nahe zur Natur für Fahrradfahrer und Wanderer.
Mehr Information (auf Englisch): Jenny Uusikartano jenny.uusikartano@tampere.fi
26.8.2020
cooperation with bloggers
During the summer, Lakesperience joined forces with two Finnish bloggers to promote local cycling routes in beautiful lake sceneries. As the COVID-19 outbreak made travelling abroad difficult, people were eager to explore their own country and nature. The campaign was targeted at domestic tourists, and therefore, the blogs were written in Finnish.
Pyöräretki Tampereen seudulla, PyhäNäsi – Järvien reitillä
Pyhä-Näsi: Pyörämatkalle Järvien reitille
Pyhä-Näsi: Juhannus Helvetissä
30.10.2019
A Successful Benchmarking Trip to Germany
20 SMEs from Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia took part in a study visit and benchmarking trip to Mecklenburg Lake District in Germany.
The trip, arranged by Lakesperience project (funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic), took place on 23-27 September.
The journey kicked off with a seminar day in Berlin on 24 September. Representatives of Visit Finland, Visit Estonia, Bel Velo tour operator and the German Cyclists’ Federation shared their expertise on the German tourism market and consumer behaviour. Special attention was given to cycling tourism, supporting services and marketing infrastructure.
The rest of the time was dedicated to site visits in Mecklenburg Lake District, which offers one of the best infrastructures for cycling tourists. The companies had an opportunity to learn:
- how a bike rental and repair company serves customers;
- how a local tourism association develops and promotes cycling tourism;
- how private companies can use national parks as a platform for developing tourism services;
- how a hotel serves cycling tourists and develops special interest packages;
- how a visitor and nature discovery centre can become an attraction for tourists and locals, and play an important role in preservation of local flora, fauna and history of the region.
The participants of the benchmarking trip were truly inspired by how well the infrastructure for cycling tourism in Mecklenburg Lake District is developed, and how effectively different service providers cooperate to meet the needs of customers. Another source of inspiration was the ability of German companies to come up with effective and creative solutions during the low season.
In addition to benchmarking the German experience, the companies taking part in the trip, had a chance to learn from each other and think about future cooperation opportunities.
Who took part in the benchmarking trip?
An open call for the companies was launched in May 2019. Equipment rental and activity companies, lake cruise companies, small hotels and accommodation companies, farms, museums and culture services, restaurants, DMCs and others were warmly welcome to apply. The project team selected 5 companies representing each partner region in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia based on the motivation, activity and relevancy of the applicants.
Companies from Tampere region, Finland:
- Vaihmalan Hovi, accommodation and activity services
- Luomajärven Hevoskievari, accommodation and activity services
- Niemi-Kapeen tila, accommodation and activity services
- Hiking Travel, activity and rental services
- Laivaosakeyhtiö Intti, lake cruise company
Companies from Östergötland region, Sweden:
- Scandic Hotels Linköping, accommodation services
- Vårdnäs Stiftsgård, accommodation and activity services
- Rimforsa Strand, accommodation and activity services
- Rederi AB Kind, lake cruise company
- Valö Café & festplats, food services
Companies from Peipsi region, Estonia:
- Kalevipoja Koda, activity and rental services
- Jääaja Keskus, activity and rental services
- Slaker OÜ, accommodation and food services
- Pajula OÜ, accommodation and rental services
- Vudila Mängumaa OÜ, activity services
Companies from Burtnieku region, Latvia:
- ”Vidzemes laivas”Ltd, lake cruises and equipment rental
- Kempings Ezerpriedes Ltd, accommodation services
- Made Marija Cruise Ship
- Health and recreation Centre Ltd, accommodation services
- Rūķīši Ltd, accommodation and rental services
21.8.2019
Call for offers – sales manual for german market
We ask for your offer in connection to implementation of the Lakesperience project funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic Programme. The project started in January 2018 and will continue until December 2020.
Lakesperience is a cooperation project between lake regions from Tampere (Finland), Linköping (Sweden), Tartu (Estonia) and Burtnieku (Latvia). The project goal is to develop tourism services for cycling tourists from Germany, and to start marketing those services through German tour operators in the year 2020.
We are looking for an external service provider (hereinafter Provider) who will be able to produce a Tampere region’s product manual / sales manual aimed at German tour operators. The basis for the sales manual will be the tourism products from Tampere region, which were previously developed within the frames of the project.
The sales manual production includes the following tasks:
- to analyse the existing database of developed products in cooperation with the project team;
- to modify product descriptions so as to meet the standard, accepted by the German tour operators;
- to translate product descriptions from English to German using professional register of the German travel industry;
- to create a layout of the sales manual in a predefined Adobe InDesign template.
The existing database of products consists of 40+ product cards (text and graphics). The final goal is to create a sales manual of 25-35 pages, including the modified product descriptions and graphics + additional information, which will be provided by the project team.
The Provider should be able to match the following criteria:
- experience of consulting Finnish regional tourism organizations;
- expertise in the German B2B travel market, i.e. German tour operators offering tours to Finland;
- experience of developing product/ sales manuals aimed at German tour operators.
We request the potential Provider to prepare a proposal, containing the following information:
- a fixed bid price, not exceeding 4 000 EUR (incl. VAT), considering the task and sales manual features;
- proof of matching the criteria for Providers listed above;
- list of references and work examples.
We kindly ask you to send your offer by 4th September 2019 at the latest by email to grigory.kharitidis@visittampere.fi
Any inquiries should be addressed by 30 August at the latest to Grigory Kharitidis, Project manager, at grigory.kharitidis@visittampere.fi or +358 40 8395424.
21.8.2019
Fifth Lakesperience partner meeting organised in Peipsi region in Estonia
Lakesperience Project partners from four lake regions have two days long discussion about lake tourism services marketing on 22nd to 23rd August in Alatskivi. Partner meeting brings together 7 partners who enhances business and marketing cooperation between at 20 Finnish, 20 Swedish, 15 Estonian and 15 Latvian companies that provide services, such as accommodation, food, activities, bike and other sports equipment renting, fishing and sauna for tourists.
Lakesperience Project connects lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi in Tampere Finland, lakes Åsunden, Järnlunden and Stora Rängen in the south of Linköping, Sweden, lake Peipsi in Estonia and lake Burtnieku in Latvia as a joint tourist attraction. On partner meeting marketing strategy is under discussion marketing. Joint Nordic-Baltic Lake-marketing message will be created during the project for marketing the lake areas and related services, especially for German tourists.
Lakesperience Project manager Margit Säre said that it is really important continuously develop and update the marketing strategy in order to increase the viability of the regions. Therefore, the meeting is focusing on the main actions, communication channels and key messages of regions marketing. “During this meeting our aim is to develop joint conception for sales manuals, sales events in Germany and lake festivals”, said Säre.
The Interreg Central-Baltic Project Lakesperience – Explore the Nordic-Baltic lakes project will increase the attractiveness and visibility of Finnish, Swedish, Estonian and Latvian lakes and their environments as sustainable natural heritage tourist attractions and products.
Lakesperience Project is funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic Programme and is co-financed by The Ministry of the Interior of Estonia and National Foundation of Civil Society. More information can be found here: https://www.ctc.ee/activities-and-projects/running/lakesperience
14.8.2019
Tampere Lakeland Festival to celebrate Tampere’s beautiful lake nature in Särkänniemi and Mustalahti harbour!
Tampere Lakeland Festival is an event where the whole family can enjoy themselves on the land as well as on the lake. Admission to the event area is free. The programme in the area will consist of varous activities for the whole family, for example cruises, free swinging carousel rides in the Lake carousel and fish feeding shows in Aquarium.
Festival is organized as part of the Lakesperience project to increase the knowledge on the lakes and lake related activities in Tampere region, Finland. Event will take place on the shores of Lake Näsijärvi on 31.8-1.9.2019. Särkänniemi amusement park and Mustalahti harbor being the main event locations.
More information: https://visittampere.fi/tampere-lakeland-festival/
13.8.2019
20 Companies, 4 Countries and One Benchmarking Trip to Germany
20 SMEs from Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia will take part in a study visit and benchmarking trip to Mecklenburg Lake District in Germany.
The trip, arranged by Lakesperience project (funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic), is due to take place on 23-27 September. The journey will kick off with a seminar day, during which representatives of national tourism offices, tour operators and the German Cyclists’ Federation will share expertise about the German tourism market and the psychology of German customers. Special attention will be given to cycling tourism, supporting services and marketing infrastructure.
The rest of the time will be dedicated to site visits in Mecklenburg Lake District, which offers one of the best infrastructures for cycling tourists.
An open call for the companies was launched in May 2019. Equipment rental and activity companies, lake cruise companies, small hotels and accommodation companies, farms, museums and culture services, restaurants, DMCs and others were warmly welcome to apply. The project team selected 5 companies representing each partner region in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia based on the motivation, activity and relevancy of the applicants.
Companies from Tampere region, Finland:
- Vaihmalan Hovi, accommodation and activity services
- Luomajärven Hevoskievari, accommodation and activity services
- Niemi-Kapeen tila, accommodation and activity services
- Hiking Travel, activity and rental services
- Laivaosakeyhtiö Intti, lake cruise company
Companies from Östergötland region, Sweden:
- Scandic Hotels Linköping, accommodation services
- Vårdnäs Stiftsgård, accommodation and activity services
- Rimforsa Strand, accommodation and activity services
- Rederi AB Kind, lake cruise company
- Valö Café & festplats, food services
Companies from Peipsi region, Estonia:
- Kalevipoja Koda, activity and rental services
- Jääaja Keskus, activity and rental services
- Slaker OÜ, accommodation and food services
- Pajula OÜ, accommodation and rental services
- Vudila Mängumaa OÜ, activity services
Companies from Burtnieku region, Latvia:
- ”Vidzemes laivas”Ltd, lake cruises and equipment rental
- Kempings Ezerpriedes Ltd, accommodation services
- Made Marija Cruise Ship
- Health and recreation Centre Ltd, accommodation services
- Rūķīši Ltd, accommodation and rental services
9.7.2019
New bike routes are tested during the Lake Peipsi festival
This year the Lake Peipsi Festival gives an opportunity to test new bike routes which will help introduce local tourism services and products. From the 8th to the 14th of June, interesting bike trips are organised by Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation which aims to highlight local villages, churches, nature, and tourism enterprises near lake Peipsi.
In previous years, the Lake Peipsi Festival activities took place in the ports and on the lake. This year the co-organiser, Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation, is surprising visitors of the festival with an opportunity to see a bit more than the lake itself. With the project Lakesperience, new bike routes have been developed that aims to create a really memorable experience for visitors of the region. The series started on Monday and will end on the 14th of July with the Lake Peipsi Festival final event in Räpina.
Lakesperience Project manager Margit Säre said that it is really important to continuously develop new routes and service packages for tourists in order to increase the viability of the region. Estonian people may already know about the colourful culture, quality of food, and of course lake Peipsi itself, but there is still a lot of work to be done to reach more distant regions like Germany, etc. The bike routes tested during the Lake Peipsi Festival were developed in cooperation with Peipsi tourism development organisations and enterprises. Within the Lakesperience project, experience and knowledge sharing with Finland, Sweden and Latvian lake regions is also improved.
“The lake Peipsi region is rich in culture and nature. It is fertile ground for developing new services and products. From here you can find new surprises and that is why this region is worth visiting every year,“ says Säre.
The Interreg Central-Baltic Project Lakesperience – Explore the Nordic-Baltic lakes project will increase the attractiveness and visibility of Finnish, Swedish, Estonian and Latvian lakes and their environments as sustainable natural heritage tourist attractions and products.
Lakesperience Project is funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic Programme and is co-financed by The Ministry of the Interior of Estonia and National Foundation of Civil Society. More information can be found here: http://www.ctc.ee/activities-and-projects/running/lakesperience
More information:
Margi Säre
Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation
Tel +372 5088409
www.ctc.ee
12.4.2019
Lakesperience project visit to Lake Constance region in Germany
As part of the Lakesperience project, partners visited the Lake Constance region to learn about the cycling tourism and sustainable traveling in the region. Study and benchmarking tour organized by the Global Nature Fund for the project partners took place on 8.-9.4.2019 in Baden-Württemberg region in Germany.
Study and benchmarking visits included a visit to NABU -an Information Centre on the nature reserve in Reichenau, a meeting with the Head of the Environmental Office of the City of Friedrichshafen and introductions to the city and lake area marketing in Radolfzell. In addition, partners learned about the Ecocamping concept and hiking and biking tour conduction in the region. Besides the study and benchmarking visits, project partners discussed the project internal matters on the next steps in the project.
Article about the visit (in German) can be found here.
Project Lead Partner
The Baltic Institute of Finland
Specialist
Jenny Uusikartano