The
city of Naantali (link)at the south-west coast is the fourth oldest city in Finland. Naantali was founded around the mediaeval Brigittine convent Vallis gratiae, the church which
still dominates town’s skyline. The charter was signed by King Christopher of
Sweden, the then ruler of Finland, in 1443. The convent got trading rights and
other privileges, and the town around it began to grow. It also became an important
destination for pilgrimage. In the 16th century, as Catholicism gave way to
Protestantism as the official religion of Finland, the convent was closed, and
the town plunged into a depression. The year 1863 saw the founding of the spa
at Cape Kalevanniemi, which raised the town's status as a holiday venue. In
1922, the Kultaranta estate on Luonnonmaa Island was made the officla summer residence for the President of the
Republic of Finland.
In Naantali there are one million traveling days and
600.000 visitors per year. There are many important points of interest in the city;
the biggest is the Moomin World theme park on the island of Kailo. Also the old
town and the church together form a unique and idyllic area which tempts visitors
all around the world. Approximately 20 % of visitors come from abroad. In
addition to Moomins, the Naantali Spa Hotel, the largest spa in the Nordic
countries, is also one of the main attractions.
WelDest Camp at Villa Randala
The Finnish camp took place on
Thursday 5th June at Villa Randala, a charming old villa by the sea
in Naantali. In total ten stakeholders accepted the invitation to come and
pilot the self-assessment tool for WelDest. In addition to our industry
partners we had other stakeholders as such the representative of Naantali Spa,
the head of Naantali Tour Guide’s association, The Head of International Business Development Services
/ Center of Economic Development, Transport and Environment of Finland Proper,
and two representatives of the City of Naantali and the owner of Villa Randala.
The camp was able to identify several strengths
from well-being point of view e.g. the long history as a spa destination,
diversified offer of treatments (especially pampering and relaxation
treatments), nature, outdoor activities, serenity of the area, the life styles
of the old wooden city and the archipelago area, and the role of Naantali
Tourism Ltd as the coordinating body. The strategy of Naantali Tourism has
already identified wellness customers as one core segment and e.g. development is
initiated based on customer feedback. The
development points discussed were e.g. the need to productize overall
well-being (body, mind and soul) packages and the personal information services
for health and well-being. Also locality and local traditions could be highlighted
even more.
