"A national park like no other!” Urho Kekkonen National Park VISITOR SURVEY 2017 • SUMMARY PARKS & WILDLIFE FINLAND Table of Contents Introduction – Call of the wild 3 Map 4 Visitor numbers 5 Collection of visitor survey data 6 Visitor composition 7 Primary activities 8 Regional distribution of visits 9 Purpose of visit 10 Visitor expectations 11 Use and quality of services 12 O User satisfaction index 13 Impacts on local economies 14 The trail from Kiilopää to Rautulampi Impacts on health and well-being 15 O climbs the Raututunturi fells. T PHO NIVASAL PASI : WORKING GROUP: Kristiina Aikio, Joel Erkkonen, Satu Heikkinen, Ari Kukkala, Kirsi VISITOR COMMENTS: All quotes are free-form feedback comments taken from LAYOUT: Pasi Nivasalo Kuusisto, Aini Magga, Kirsti Magga, Pasi Nivasalo, Nina Raasakka, Tarja Tuovinen, Anu the visitor survey. TRANSLATION: Lingsoft Language Services Oy Virtanen Metsähallitus, Vantaa, 2018 Call of the wild Take in the vast expanses of the Urho Kekkonen National Park and the tales told by its fells, hiking to the cosy warmth of a hut by nightfall. A trekker's dream, the national park is situated right next to the services of Saariselkä. The wide-open landscape is also home to none other than Santa Claus, who lives on the mysterious Korvatunturi fell. Urho Kekkonen National Park profile URHO KEKKONEN NATIONAL PARK 2017 The Urho Kekkonen National • The national park area is divided huts, 4 reservable turf huts, Park is managed by Metsähalli- into a hiking and nature tourism 7 day huts and 2 rental huts tus Parks & Wildlife Finland. zone and a wilderness zone. • 27 Lapp pole tent (kota) and FI . NUMBER OF VISITS lean-tos, approximately 80 O DATE OF ESTABLISH- campfire sites, 3 cooking shel- • National park: 335,000 (2017) ters, 6 open saunas MENT • Saariselkä Customer Service • Saariselkä Customer Service The Urho Kekkonen National Kiehinen: 341,107 (overnight Kiehinen, Tankavaara Visitor Park was established in 1983 stays 2016) Centre, Savukoski Visitor Centre to protect Forest Lapland's and Korvatunturi, Aurora Day Hut VASTAVAL / NEN Southern Lapland's forest, mire NATIONAL PARK O and fell nature as well as to SERVICES TYPES OF USE UT secure nature-based sources O • Marked trails: approx. 200 Nature conservation, nature tour- of livelihood, such as reindeer km; Nature trails in Tanka- ism, nature recreation, reindeer husbandry. vaara (1–7km); Theme trails husbandry, research. in Saariselkä and Kiilopää O LO CATIOn (1–21km); Nuortti Hiking Trail T Northern and Eastern Lapland. In (loop trail 40km); Historic the municipalities of Inari, Savu- Ruijanpolku Trail (35km one- PHO K MATTI : koski and Sodankylä. way); Kemihaara-Korvatun- turinmurusta Hiking Trail (18km AREA one-way) The Urho Kekkonen National Park was established to protect Forest • Second-largest national park in • 17 open wilderness huts, 13 Lapland's and Southern Lapland's forest, mire and fell nature as well area: approx. 2,550 km² reservable huts, 2 open turf as to secure traditional hiking activities and nature-based sources of livelihood, such as reindeer husbandry. 3 Raja-Jooseppi homestead Hammastunturi Oskarinkoski Skolt homestead wilderness area National Park Saariselkä Customer Strict Nature Reserve Service Kiehinen Suomujoki Skolt homestead Wilderness Area Mire Reserve Aurora Visitor Centre Jyrkkävaara Russia Laanila Information board Kuttura Parking Nature trail Remote zone Special point of interest Day trip hut Wilderness hut Wilderness and reservable hut Recreational and Reservable hut nature tourism zone Sota-aapa Turf hut mire reserve Reservable turf hut Rental cabin Road Frontier crossing point Remote zone Tankavaara Visitor Centre Sompio Strict Nature Reserve Hammaskota Orponen Nalka-aapa mire reserve Russia Vaaranaapa Remote zone mire reserve Rakitsa Urho Kekkonen National Park Russia Tulppio Kemihaara wilderness area Tikkasen Vieriharju Sweden Uura-aapa mire reserve © Metsähallitus 2018 © Maanmittauslaitos 1/MML/18 Savukoski 4 ONE OF Finland'S MOST POpular NATIONAL parks Hikers have shown a preference for Koilliskaira since the 1950s, even though the visitor numbers at that time were quite small. After the national park was established, the popularity of the area among hikers experienced strong growth. In 2017, Urho Kekkonen National Park had approximately 335,000 visits, making it the second most popular national park in Finland by visitor numbers. A majority of the visitors visit the park in March, April and September. Visitor numbers are constantly tracked using electronic visitor counters placed in the field. In planning hiking services, visitor flows are controlled in an effort to maintain sustainable growth in terms of natural resources and visitor satisfaction. Urho Kekkonen National Park visitor numbers for 2013–2017. There were a total of 335,000 visits made in 2017. Urho Kekkonen National Park visitor numbers Y Visits 2013–2017 monthly O 80,000 70,000 matkailu 60,000 Ä 50,000 40,000 SAARISELK 30,000 - 20,000 10,000 INARI O 0 T PHO : 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 "I will definitely be coming back to hike here!" 5 400 300 Map symbols 400 Interview venues Road 300 300 VISITOR surveY data Day trip hut 300 Lapp hut GatHERED IN THE FIELD Lean-to shelter 300 Sight 300 Hiking trail 400 Metsähallitus conducts uniform visitor surveys in popular Distance 300 Themed Trails in Saariselkä 400 protected areas, historic sites and hiking areas. Data is Aurorapolku Iisakkipää gathered on nearly all national parks, with surveys usually Rumakuru Prospektori taken in five-year intervals. Themed Trails in Kiilopää Vasapolku 300 400 Poropolku 300 Visitor surveys provide us and tourism operators with key informa- Ahopää tion on park visitors, their wishes and interests. Survey results help us Kiirunapolku to improve national park services and increase the attractiveness of the Luulampi tourism area. 300 Visitor survey data on 400 the Urho Kekkonen Interview venues and 300 400 National Park was gath- response distribution 400 ered from 20 February to 29 September 2017. Interview place pcs % 300 The interview venues Kiilopää 378 19 and number targets Luulampi 331 17 500 400 Ivalo specified for them were Rumakuru 316 16 400 500 set in advance based on Aittajärvi Raja-Jooseppi Vellinsärpimä 233 12 Saariselkä the distribution of vis- Inari Kiilopää 400 Aurorapolku 229 12 500 itor flows. A total of Sodankylä RUSSIA 300 300 Luirojärvi 139 7 Tankavaara 1,960 responses were Luirojärvi 500 collected. Piispanoja 106 5 Vuotso Porttipahta Kemihaara 91% of the respondents Tankavaara 74 4 Lokka Nuorttijoki Sodankylä were Finnish tourists Savukoski Nuorttijoki 51 3 © Metsähallitus 2018 and 3% were local res- © Maanmittauslaitos 1/MML/18 Kemihaara 47 2 idents. Foreign tourists Interview venues. of 20 different nation- Aittajärvi 38 2 alities accounted for Raja-Jooseppi 18 1 "National parks are honest-to-goodness treasure troves for 6% of the respondents. Total 1,960 100 connecting with nature." 6 THE natiONAL park VISITOR BASE TENDS TOWARD AN OLDER CROWD The average visitor to the Urho Kekkonen National Park is over 50 years of age and comes for cross-country skiing in March-April. Visitors spend an average of four hours in the park. Over 25% of all visitors are older. Visitors expressed a desire for more accessible trails and structures in the national park to meet the needs of older visitors. O T With the family or friends PHO TURUNEN PERTTI : Most park visitors come with their own family or friends. In most cases, visitors come in groups of 2–5 people. Approximate- ly 9% of all visitors come alone. Change in visitor age structure 2010–2017 % "The best tourist destination for me and my 35 family, bar none!" 30 25 20 Urho Kekkonen National Park visitors 15 10 Average age 54 years 5 Gender women 54%, men 46% 0 Season summer-autumn 41%, winter 59% under 15 15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 over 65 Length of stay day visitor (4 hours), hiker (approx. 6 days) 2010 2017 7 A TRUE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE In the Urho Kekkonen National Park, visitors can experience the feel of the wilderness on long treks as well as backpacking, cross-country skiing or biking on trails in the day hiking area, right next to Saariselkä. S Y N Y Visitors to the Urho Kekkonen National Park mostly go T cross-country skiing and walking. Most visitors do 1-3 activ- O ities during their visits to the park. Approximately one out of O every three visitors engage in various nature watching activities T and hiking. PHO TAPI : Biking growing in popularity The new park rules allow for a wider range of biking activities Main visitor activities on marked activity trails within the national park. The survey revealed that biking rose to become the sixth biggest activity 60 when respondents were asked to name just one key activity in 50 their interviews. 40 30 20 10 0 RVI Ä SEURUJ O : PIRJ : O T 8 PHO FELL HUTS – A WARM RETREAT FOR HIKERS AND SKIERS Marked trails are located in close proximity to visitor centres, while more demanding wilderness routes can be FI found in the central and eastern sections of the park. O A majority of the park visitors visit the areas just adjacent to Saariselkä and Kiilopää. The park's most popular wilderness destinations are found in its central areas (Luirojärvi, Sokosti). NEN / VASTAVAL / NEN O UT O Regional distribution of visits O Place to visit pcs % T Saariselkä area 1,445 74 PHO K MATTI : Kiilopää area 1,331 68 The middle parts of the park One out every four hikers 205 11 (e.g. Luirojärvi, Sokosti) 74 % of the Urho Kekkonen National Park visitor survey respondents were day hikers. Tankavaara 174 9 Approximately one of every four visitors stayed overnight in the park. The most popu- The northern parts of the park lar place for overnight stays among visitors was their own accommodation (e.g.