After several weeks of preparation, more than 200 e-mails, numerous phone calls, and then 7,400 km journey across Finland, visiting six different national parks, conducting more than 40 personal interviews, and recording 2,600 minutes of audio material, my secondment in the first half of 2025 yielded significant progress in my research work. The interviews took place in various locations, such as a wilderness hut, a sailboat, an airplane, a parked car, etc. I tried to travel with as little environmental impact as possible, so I took the train whenever I could.
In the first half of 2025, as a part of my secondment, I had the opportunity to work with Metsähallitus (Parks & Wildlife Finland). Thanks to the VIMAS project cooperation and the agreement between Metsähallitus and my host university, the University of Eastern Finland, this secondment period has covered the qualitative data collection phase of my PhD research. Together with the colleagues of Metsähallitus we identified the targeted protected areas in Finland and nature-based tourism companies as potential participants of my research interviews. After several online and personal consultations, we identified six different national parks that represent the main types of protected areas in Finland. The Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in Lapland in Northern Finland is one of the most visited areas, not only by domestic but foreign visitors, and has different visitor centres. The Koli National Park in the Eastern part of Finland also has a visitor centre, while Hiidenportti and Tiilikkajärvi National Parks are located in remote areas. Nuuksio National Park has a popular visitor center and, at the same time, is located close to the capital area. The Archipelago National Park in South-West Finland represents the unique marine environment of the Baltic sea.
The interview phase was one of the most exciting periods in my research. This is the period when you can meet in person with the „subject” of your study and can get first-hand information. Face-to-face interviews are always about personal contact; thus, they need precise preparation from approaching participants to creating a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere for fruitful discussions. This tests one's communication and interpersonal skills. Regardless of the length and depth of the preparation phase, improvisation is necessary in some cases, and of course you need luck, as well! I have to say I felt myself really lucky to be able to conduct more than 40 personal interviews altogether across Finland, visiting various wonderful national parks and regions, and meeting such nice and interesting people.
Interview design
A vast amount of literature and tutorials is available on research interview design and how to phrase good questions. Even though I gathered a lot of information and examples from handbooks, papers, workshops, and discussions, and tried to apply my own previous entrepreneurial and consultancy experiences, it took me several weeks to finalize the list of interview questions after several rephrasing procedures. While you are trying to find the proper formulas, phrases that are easy to handle and understand from an entrepreneurial point of view, it is important to keep considering their contributions to the research questions, theoretical framework, and the overall objectives of the research. It proved useful to create a flowchart showing how each interview question fits to the aims of the overall research. Fortunately, the language issue didn’t pose a major issue in the end, because English was comfortable for every participant, even though we were prepared for the possibility of having to conduct the interview in Finnish.
Enjoy the interviews!
In the nature-based tourism business, you can meet committed, so-called lifestyle entrepreneurs.It’s a pleasure to meet people who genuinely enjoy what they do, and in most cases, their businesses are much more about than the profit. Personal meetings allow getting an impression of the wider context behind a business. First of all, you can experience the natural environment, the infrastructure and the general conditions the interview participants are surrounded by, with your own senses. Preparation is important to get a little bit involved and interested in the activity that the interviewee is providing, to be able to start the conversations with some warm-up questions, creating the atmosphere beyond the structured list of questions. I tested and practiced a lot to get the necessary routine, then finally I knew the interview questions by heart, which let me lead the conversations as open discussions. This was another important element in creating a relaxed atmosphere for the interviews.
From the coastline to the Arctic Circle
The six different national parks represent distinct natural environments and cultural-ethnographical heritage, providing diverse opportunities for nature-based tourism. The characteristics of a region have a significant impact on the type of knowledge that an entrepreneur or a firm needs. Furthermore, as I experienced, nature-based tourism entrepreneurs possess in most cases a various types of knowledge about the local environment and sustainability but there are different ways how much they involve them in their business activities. Furthermore, in a wider perspective in some cases these entrepreneurs are important representatives of local heritage and sustainable tourism. Knowledge needs for successful operation, of course, depends on various variables such as natural landscape and conditions, infrastructure, destination marketing, number of visitors, etc, and differ according to the type of service provided. In my research, I tried as much as possible to interview companies offering similar tourism services in every region. So, near every national park, I tried to meet with restaurant managers, activity providers, accommodation providers, and equipment rental companies. Among the wide variety of experiences on offer, you will find sea sailing, kayaking in the Archipelago, seal watching and fishing in Central Lakeland, wildlife photography in Arctic Lakeland, and husky sledding in Lapland and so on. During the analysis process of the research interview transcripts, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of similarities and differences using a thematic analysis method.
Traveling through a foreign country and enjoying the trust of the locals, getting to know the relationship between the landscape and the people, often recording conversations in their homes, is an experience that I have read about in the works of earlier geographers and ethnographers. In addition to valuable data, the VIMAS project has provided opportunities for gaining a wealth of experience and represents a significant step forward in developing research skills and fieldwork abilities.