About the project

The SCITOUR project is now formally finished. To learn more about what we achieved visit our website at www.wonderseekers.com

Though the project is over the work continues and we are still interested in working with scientific tourism businesses. There are several ways you can continue to engage with us.

- Visit www.wonderseekers.com and consider creating a business profile.

- Follow the Wonder Seekers social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

- Contact Project Manager Ari Laakso at ari.laakso{at}ulapland.fi

 

SCITOUR responds to economic challenges shared by tourism entrepreneurs across the NPA region: low economic diversity, distance from major markets, and out-migration. The project will help small businesses and start-ups based in remote northern regions to develop and market new products offering tourists an educational experience based around scientific learning. This takes advantage of recent trends whereby once remote Arctic and peri-Arctic destinations have become more accessible and see increased numbers of visitors. SCITOUR will allow entrepreneurs to take advantage of this trend as well as create fulfilling experiences for visitors to learn about the regions.

The SCITOUR concept will have benefits beyond the tourism industry. Visitors to these remote areas are often curious and eager to learn. By putting science communication at the heart of their experience, this will enhance their knowledge and awareness of specific issues pertaining to the Arctic, including the impact of climate change. This is particularly significant in a post-truth world where scientific fact can be dismissed or disregarded.

The project involves a consortium of partners from Arctic and peri-Arctic countries. It draws on the experience of institutions in Finland, Iceland, Greenland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands with different expertise in science communication, tourism and marketing. Each partner will be able to share their specialist knowledge and to learn from the expertise of others. The transnational approach taken by the project will also give tourism businesses and enterprises in each partner country the opportunity to take part in transnational marketing, as well as to connect with and learn from similar businesses elsewhere.