In May 2024, the Finnish Society for Tourism Research marked a significant milestone with the XIV Symposium of Finnish Tourism and Leisure Research, themed 20 Years of Tourism and Leisure Research in Finland: The Way Forward. This event, hosted at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, celebrated past achievements and was a crucial platform for defining the future trajectory of tourism research and practice. It brought together leading scholars and practitioners from Finland’s tourism sector to reflect on the future.
Starting from utopia and dystopia
The symposium featured a keynote presentation titled “Beam me up, Scotty! The futures of tourism and technology” by Professor Juho Pesonen from the University of Eastern Finland. This interactive session provided potential scenarios from the film industry and asked whether the future looks like dystopia or utopia. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion focusing on the prospects of AI in tourism, featuring experts like Thomas Kingelin from Haaga-Helia, Joel Pakalén from Hotel Growth Agency and Kaisa Kosonen from Visit Finland. All the panellists and the audience agreed that the future looks like both utopia and dystopia; thus, we should be cautious and aware of the consequences of IT and AI.
![[Alt text: a person speaking in front of the lecture hall, beside of him is text on the screen, beam me up, scotty.]](https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/498_2024_Celebrating-two-decades-1024x577.jpg)
In-depth sessions and discussions
The first day included dedicated sessions on digital platforms and ecosystems in tourism, discussing networks, transportation and even results from LAB’s project Transformation Tourism. The second parallel session explored tourist motivation and experiences, featuring discussions on happiness and wellness tourism motivations during crises and the new paths for tourism education.
The following day, Professor José-Carlos García-Rosell addressed business ethics in tourism research, followed by sessions on sustainable tourism businesses. These sessions featured talks on sustainable scenarios for 2030, circular transformations in restaurant operations, and the impact of tourism on biodiversity and cultural ecosystem services. The symposium was wrapped up with a keynote by Professor Outi Rantala from the University of Lapland, a renowned expert in the field, on envisioning tourism futures through proximity. A session of inclusive tourism session followed her keynote.
Looking forward
This symposium celebrated past achievements and served as a crucial platform for defining the future trajectory of tourism research and practice in Finland and beyond. By fostering discussions on innovative topics such as AI, sustainability, and ethics in tourism, it aims to equip professionals and academics with practical insights and strategies to navigate the evolving tourism landscape effectively. Participants not only enjoyed lectures but also actively participated in the discussion and creation of collective knowledge.
If you want to know more, read the Book of Abstracts:
Link to Book of Abstracts. (Link 1)
Johanna Heinonen is a Senior Lecturer at LAB University of Applied Sciences. She is particularly passionate about studying how digital tools and applications can be used more efficiently. She is also an active member of Finnish Society for Tourism Research and one of the editors of Journal of Finnish Tourism Research. Her work at LAB is closely related to the tourism research.
Links
Link 1. Matkailututkimus. 2024. Symposium. Anniversary symposium. Cited 27 May 2024. Available at https://www.matkailututkimus.org/symposium/2024-juhlasymposium-anniversary-sym/
