Local views on Oulu as a tourist destination

Tourism is a growing industry, that is prone to the changes happening in the world. Changing travel trends push people in new directions and towards new ways of traveling. Tourism research has many dimensions, and lot of current research focuses on the views of locals, that have an opportunity to see tourism and the destination from different point of view. As a result of warming climate and overtourism, many tourists might find their ways to more northern and smaller destinations. In these places locals might not have experienced the consequences of tourism yet. This thesis explores one possibly growing destination focusing on the local views. The study area of this thesis is the city of Oulu, located in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Oulu is a year-round destination known for its nature sites and unique events. Specific point of interest in this study is Terwa Tower, that is planned near the market square to meet the accommodation demand. The method used in this study was semi-structured interview for locals made in public place. The material collected with the interviews was interpreted using thematic analysis and SWOT-analysis.

The results show that most of the interviewed locals see Oulu as a tourism destination and are positive towards tourism in their city. According to the interviewees the nature and culture are attractions and strengths, but more effort should be put into accessibility and development. In the current situation locals see the impacts of tourism mostly positive, and the negative impacts as something that could arise in the future and be partly managed. Interviewed locals see that Oulu has lot of potential for tourism. Due to that potential as well as ongoing projects, upcoming year as the European Capital of Culture and climate change, the future of tourism in Oulu looks promising. Terwa Tower is welcomed by most of the interviewees. They see that it would support development of the area and bring more tourists but also spoil the views around it due to its high profile. Overall, the interviewees view Oulu as a destination with good foundation for tourism, but more evaluation and effort is needed to develop and present the city in the best possible way.