In September–October 2025, Visit Hanko and the Digi+Hiiletön 2.0 project brought together nearly 40 tourism stakeholders from Hanko for three workshops focused on shaping responsible and shared guidelines for the future of tourism in the region. The workshops supported the development of the regional tourism ecosystem, encouraged joint innovation among stakeholders, and contributed to updating the local tourism strategy.
At the same time, the workshops offered entrepreneurs a valuable opportunity to network, share development ideas and reflect on how regional cooperation could be strengthened.
The collaboration supports the Digi+Hiiletön 2.0 project’s broader goal of developing and strengthening ecosystem models suited to the tourism sector in Uusimaa. Another key objective is to build new types of innovation networks among tourism and hospitality companies that can support regional tourism development.
The workshops were facilitated by Digi+Hiiletön 2.0 project experts—Haaga-Helia lecturers Teemu Ruohonen and Päivi Penttilä—in cooperation with Visit Hanko’s Tourism Manager, Maria Nordström.
Throughout the workshops and discussions, the importance of regional cooperation and ecosystem-based collaboration emerged clearly. Participants recognized how collaboration plays a key role both in regional tourism development and in the growth of their own businesses.
Particular attention was given to themes such as sustainable international growth, the development of year-round tourism, and strengthening joint marketing and regional cooperation. In the entrepreneurs’ own pitch presentations, companies’ future goals came strongly to the forefront—an important foundation for building a shared regional ecosystem.
In the final workshop, participants brainstormed concrete methods for future collaboration and analyzed shared future target groups. The atmosphere throughout the workshops was enthusiastic, and the discussions lively.
“It was incredibly rewarding to carry out co-creation together with the Digi+Hiiletön 2.0 project. The project team’s strong expertise and experience with Visit organizations brought both confidence and valuable perspectives to the work. Some of the best aspects of the collaboration were the team’s excellent facilitation skills and their ability to bring fresh, regionally relevant insights into the discussions. The work was inspiring and smooth!”
— Maria Nordström, Tourism Manager, Visit Hanko
Companies participating in the workshops also gave positive feedback, especially about the opportunity for co-creation and collaboration with regional stakeholders. When asked what they found useful or important in the workshops, responses included:
“It’s important to activate all tourism actors in both strategy and practical work.”
“Gatherings and thought-provoking discussions.”
“Getting to know others.”
“Clear yet flexible in idea generation—very good!”
“Networking and cooperation.”
“The workshop discussions and filling out the templates made everything concrete.”
The development of the regional ecosystem and the tourism strategy work will continue under the leadership of Visit Hanko. The new perspectives and ideas generated during the workshops form an important foundation for building the shared future of tourism in Hanko. The aim is to continue strengthening collaboration in the region—creating a solid basis for sustainable tourism growth.
The English translation of this article was prepared with the assistance of AI tool (ChatGPT).