Rural lifestyle product manual 2022

This manual is aimed at helping travellers and tour operators discover rural destinations in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia.

These Rural Lifestyle tourism products give an insight into the lives of people living in the countryside through visits to destinations outside cities and with a strong and unique identity. In this manual, each destination has a brief description followed by the programmes that can be experienced in that destination.

Guests will experience life in country homesteads, farms, smallholdings and home-producers’ businesses while meeting with the local people, watching or engaging in everyday life. The visiting programmes are very varied and include: set excursion programmes, visits with guest engagement in the daily routines of country life, or leisurely stays in an authentic environment in villages or islands.

Half day programmes offer brief rural experiences that can bring some diversity to existing tour operator itineraries for group and individual travel. Half day programmes can be adapted to the timings and geographical area covered by tour operators’ existing tours and fitted in as additional elements without changing the basic tour itinerary.

Full day programmes and two-day programmes with overnight accommodation in country hotels or guest houses can be useful for groups and individual tourists interested in experiences outside cities. Each programme package consists of several services, usually programme visits, guide services, meals and accommodation.

All of these programmes can be linked with the traditional touristic routes and city experiences to bring more variety and attraction.