Title of thesis: Challenges and Opportunities for the Tourism Industry in

The objective of the thesis is to compare tourism industry in Seinäjoki, Finland, and Aschaffenburg, Germany, and its effects on regional development. The research method used is qualitative analysis, where the regions are evaluated in the form of a SWOT analysis. Based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, development ideas for improving the tourism strategies in both regions are given. As main sources for the research were used tourism portals of the cities in question, information from the state ministries, and interviewing contact persons from local tourism organizations. The ground for comparing exactly these two regions is that the cities are approximately of the same size, situated in two different countries, and it would be useful to evaluate if they could utilize some aspects of the other region’s tourism development for improving their own tourism industry. Seinäjoki is the childhood home and later the study place of the author; Aschaffenburg on its behalf the target of her student exchange and place of residence for one and a half years