Bascil project partners gear up for tourist season 2024

Once again, partners in the Bascil project gathered for a joint workshop to share their experiences and present the progress of the project. This time, Finnish partners XAMK and Lomalaidun welcomed all to the Saimaa region in eastern Finland. Saimaa is Finland’s largest lake, where the region’s beautiful nature and exquisite cuisine attract millions of tourists annually.

Bascil partners from 12 regions presented a total of 93 pilot businesses with interesting and attractive culinary tourism services, hopefully ready for the upcoming tourist season. An exciting example from Estonia’s pilot region Jõgevamaa was the honey company Meemeistrid OÜ (Honey Masters), which presented its work on defining different personas and concrete offerings for them.

At the start of the Bascil project, Business Designers from Krinova conducted several workshops where project partners learned practical business models and tools to support local food producers in their own regions. Now they can already see the results of these workshops.
—What initially felt uncomfortable and abstract theories for the participants quickly became a natural way for them to work,” says Max Pattara, Business Designer at Krinova. They have truly seen the value and embraced and used all the tools and concepts.
—The partners’ presentations were excellent. They have worked on value propositions, and it shows in the results, Max continues, looking pleased.

Study visits to local culinary and tourism spots were also on the agenda, providing a great opportunity to explore and be inspired by the local food tourism examples and tastes of the Saimaa region. It’s no wonder that The Lake Saimaa region has been awarded the prestigious international title of European Region of Gastronomy 2024.

The days in Saimaa concluded with preparations for the continued project work.
—In the next work package, partners will continue developing and promoting entire regions and creating common attractions with culinary tourism destinations, explains Truls Bretz from Krinova. So, we showcased some inspiring, practical examples today.
—The work will really kick off at the next workshop in end of May, but it’s good to start early, says Truls. In the next step, partners will work with other stakeholders such as municipalities and investors.”

Right now, the ice on Lake Saimaa is meters thick, but soon the summer season will be in full swing, and tourists will return in droves. Bascil project partners continue preparations for piloting in the tourist season of 2024. Intensive work is underway during spring, and thereafter, partners look forward to introducing culinary solutions to the market in their own tourist regions.

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