Promoting Kymenlaakso as a Tourist Destination to Indian Market
Wickramaratna, Millawitana (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121135160
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121135160
Tiivistelmä
The research examined the application of destination marketing which can boost competitiveness and popularity of the Kymenlaakso area of Finland in the Indian tourism market. The research is commissioned by the GoGlo Project of XAMK, and contributes to the development of regional based innovation, networking, and cultural cooperation.
The mixed-method design was adopted which entailed survey, interviews with Indian tourists, traveling agent and GoGlo experts. The benchmarks were made against Dubai, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland. Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, discussed together with theories like Push-Pull motivation, self-congruity, and TPB using as guide for data analysis.
The results indicate that Indian tourists appreciate the concepts of safety, nature and cultural acceptance, but they consider low awareness, accessibility and cultural assimilation of the destination in Kymenlaakso. Benchmarking has shown that the successful destinations use emotional digital storytelling and culturally unique services.
Inconclusion the research indicated that Kymenlaakso could improve its development by marketing itself, to the Indian market through adapting a culturally adjusted destination-marketing approach. This includes addressing cultural expectation like food and family friendly services, capitalizing on nature, wellness-based experience, partnership with local actors and improving English language visibility; learning via benchmarked Nordic destinations that actively attract the interest of Indian travelers. The combination of these activities creates a viable and realistic model of promotion of positioning the Kymenlaakso as a growing Finnish destination among the Indian tourists.
Keywords:
Indian tourism, Destination Marketing, Cultural adaptation, Digital Marketing, Regional development, GoGlo project, Kymenlaakso
The mixed-method design was adopted which entailed survey, interviews with Indian tourists, traveling agent and GoGlo experts. The benchmarks were made against Dubai, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland. Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, discussed together with theories like Push-Pull motivation, self-congruity, and TPB using as guide for data analysis.
The results indicate that Indian tourists appreciate the concepts of safety, nature and cultural acceptance, but they consider low awareness, accessibility and cultural assimilation of the destination in Kymenlaakso. Benchmarking has shown that the successful destinations use emotional digital storytelling and culturally unique services.
Inconclusion the research indicated that Kymenlaakso could improve its development by marketing itself, to the Indian market through adapting a culturally adjusted destination-marketing approach. This includes addressing cultural expectation like food and family friendly services, capitalizing on nature, wellness-based experience, partnership with local actors and improving English language visibility; learning via benchmarked Nordic destinations that actively attract the interest of Indian travelers. The combination of these activities creates a viable and realistic model of promotion of positioning the Kymenlaakso as a growing Finnish destination among the Indian tourists.
Keywords:
Indian tourism, Destination Marketing, Cultural adaptation, Digital Marketing, Regional development, GoGlo project, Kymenlaakso