Sport tourism in Joensuu and Joensuu sub-region

The objective of the thesis was to explore the potential of Joensuu sub-region as a sport tourism destination. In order to achieve this aim, an analysis of existing sport tourism facilities, sport products, events, operating companies, their offers and marketing channels was implemented. The commissioner of this thesis was Visit Karelia. This organization manages the marketing of North Karelia region. The objectives of the thesis were developed in cooperation with Visit Karelia representative. Thus, the study was relevant and beneficial. The information was gathered from literature, newspapers, the Internet, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Qualitative research was chosen as a research method for this study and was conducted in October – December 2017. Within this research, sport tourists, providers of sport tourism services and representatives of marketing organizations were questioned. Thus, the current situation with sport tourism in Joensuu sub-region has been analyzed from various perspectives. The results of the study show that the region has many opportunities for sport tourism, including existing sport facilities, which are in good shape. Nevertheless, sport tourism industry in Joensuu sub-region is still to develop. Sport tourism has to be marketed directly to potential users, and information about sport-related tourism has to be organized