How Interreg helps tourism glow through Finland’s darkest months

Thanks to support from Interreg transnational cooperation programmes, these quiet times are transforming into new opportunities for growth. By helping entrepreneurs learn new skills and make the most of Finland’s fascinating dark skies, projects like Light in the Dark and GLOW 2.0 are showing the way forward for off-season tourism.

New skills, new seasons

Imagine the serene beauty of the Finnish archipelago during its off-season: brisk winds over the Baltic Sea, rugged coastlines veiled in mist, and cosy lights glowing in the long, dark evenings. Through the Light in the Dark project, funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region, this tranquil time of year has become an asset, turning darkness and silence into qualities that set the region apart. The project unites destination managers and small businesses across five countries, creating a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs share insights, gain new skills, and adapt successful strategies from neighbouring countries.

Natalie and Nina, entrepreneurs managing businesses on isolated islands, have embraced this opportunity to learn. Natalie runs Brudhäll Hotel & Restaurant in Kökar, while Nina operates a hotel, restaurant, and guest harbour complex on Örö. Both Natalie and Nina share an ambition for sustainable growth. They dream of enhanced accessibility. Natalie envisions winter weekends filled with events and collaborations with local businesses, while Nina hopes to increase international visitors to Örö, helping fund infrastructure renovations and preserving the island’s historical character. Thanks to the Light in the Dark project, they have gained valuable insights into marketing, product development, and the benefits of shared resources. A Polish influencer taught them and other local entrepreneurs how to use TikTok to market their businesses, and Lithuanian partners offered training focused on promoting winter events online.

A critical aspect of the Light in the Dark project is learning from the experiences created by other project partners, sharing feedback, and improving together. This was exactly the case during a pilot trip to Finland, undertaken by Loreta and Reinis Pižiki of the Latvian SME Daba Laba. Immersing themselves in three distinct tourism experiences in the Finnish archipelago, Loreta and Reinis explored how off-season tourism offerings could be developed and refined. From the forest bathing and sauna rituals in Korpo to the Viking-inspired Rakinkotka Island experience, they gained hands-on insights into the value of connecting nature with wellness and cultural heritage. Their feedback, along with their observations, will contribute to refining the offerings of project partners and their own, ensuring that they, too, can create unique, sustainable experiences for visitors during the quieter months.

Entrepreneurs like Natalie, Nina, Loreta, and Reinis are not just adapting to off-season challenges - they are leading the charge, learning from one another, and crafting a future where sustainable tourism offers a richer, more authentic alternative to the crowded summer months. This is a journey of transformation - not only for businesses but for the very identity of the region itself, one where the beauty of the off-season is not a limitation, but its greatest asset.

Turning darkness into an attraction

Finland’s long, dark winters, once seen as a challenge, are now becoming an advantage. A recent survey by Booking.com found that nearly two-thirds of over 27 000 travellers are interested in visiting dark sky destinations for experiences like star bathing, naming 'noctourism' a top trend for 2025.

The GLOW 2.0 project, funded by Interreg NPA, helps local businesses and public bodies from Finland, Ireland, Norway and Iceland make the most of this trend by developing sustainable tourism during the darker months. It supports local communities while promoting the natural and cultural assets that make the Northern Periphery so unique.

One example is Syrjävaara Dark Sky Park in eastern Finland. Owner and entrepreneur Olli Reijonen discovered the site’s potential almost by accident, after logging unexpectedly cleared the hilltop of his family’s historic farm, exposing open views of the night sky. 'One night I was up there, frustrated,' he recalls.'I turned the camera north and realised - wow, there were northern lights. I couldn’t see them with the naked eye, but they showed up in the photos.'

That moment of discovery became the start of something bigger. Olli turned a damaged hill into a destination: a place where people can sleep under the stars, learn about astronomy, and experience nature in a completely different way. 'Open hilltops with distant views are rare,' he says. 'Why not make this place open for locals and others to come and watch the stars?'. With the help of the GLOW 2.0 team, Olli is now applying  for a 'Dark Sky Place Certification', which  provides international recognition for actions and stewardship undertaken by Syrjävaara to improve the quality of the nightscape environment.

Preserving darkness as a natural resource

As part of the project efforts to raise awareness about dark skies preservation, GLOW 2.0 partnered with the Koli National Park Visitor Centre to create educational panels that explain how light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms, disorients wildlife, and weakens ecosystems. Through accessible tips, like aiming lights downward, using warmer tones, or switching them off, visitors are empowered to take small actions that protect one of our most overlooked natural resources: darkness.

The goal is clear: to use what Finland already has - clean air, quiet landscapes, and naturally dark skies - to attract visitors year-round, while encouraging more mindful ways to see the night. 'Darkness is not scary,' Olli says. 'It’s calming, humbling. Once you’ve experienced real darkness, you want to protect it.'

A shared effort

Behind all these successes is cooperation. By working together across borders, entrepreneurs in Finland are learning from partners in other countries, sharing ideas, and building something stronger than they could alone. Whether it’s learning how to market your business or creating a stargazing tour, Interreg’s support is helping Finland’s tourism businesses shine, even in the darkest months.

Daisy Silvennoinen, a Project Specialist from Karelia University of Applied Sciences involved in the GLOW 2.0 project, highlights the immense value of transnational cooperation for remote regions - those she describes as 'in essence, far from everything.' She says the opportunity to connect through transnational projects is invaluable. Despite differences, Daisy believes that 'bringing our regions together helps in many ways, both us who run the project, but also the people we engage. It allows us to share experiences, learn from one another and adapt solutions from elsewhere that might work in our own contexts.' 

Her insight underscores how through smart skills training and a fresh look at local landscapes, Interreg is proving that off-season doesn’t have to mean off-limits. It can be a time of innovation, growth, and unforgettable experiences.

Watch: How Finland’s entrepreneurs turn darkness into opportunity

• Video: Night Tourism in Finland
  A visual journey through the landscapes and experiences drawing tourists to the dark months.
• Video: Light in the Dark, five tourism entrepreneurs talk about seasonality
  Meet the people reshaping tourism beyond summer.