A Week of Intensive Work and Blazing Trails in the Field of Regenerative Tourism

For several years now we have shared an incredible opportunity to join forces with Kempten UAS, Breda UAS, and Lapland UAS. The program runs on a three-year rotation, and this time the intensive week took place on our home turf in Rovaniemi.

For one week we came together to collaborate on innovative approaches to luxury tourism and to build products or packages that would implement the concept of giving back through regenerative tourism.

We were fortunate to work with Skýra Retreat, located just 20 minutes north of Rovaniemi, where they are mastering the art of luxury and storytelling on the shores of Lake Norvajärvi. Our second partner was Sunday Morning Collection near Pyhä Ski Resort, which offers a stunning location, numerous activities, and a strong theme of caring for both guests and the surrounding community.

Our goal was simple: to work with what these companies already had and create concepts that would fit within their needs through the development of specific customer personas.

Day 1 – Breaking the Ice

After breaking the ice Monday evening with an amazing dinner at Valdemari on the shores of the Kemijoki River, it was time to get to work.

The week would follow the Design Thinking method, allowing students to approach tourism development through creativity, collaboration, and structured problem solving.

Day 2 – Empathy and Understanding the Customer

Starting early Tuesday morning, the first stage focused on empathizing with the situation.

Students worked on identifying their target groups by building customer personas, creating mood boards, and thinking not about what they personally wanted, but about what these visitors would truly value.

Picture 1. Introduction to the in class studies and the Design Thinking Method

Working in mixed international teams, the groups had already completed pre-research which included interviews with people within the target groups. This helped uncover the real needs and desires of potential visitors.

It was also a valuable exercise because it encouraged teams to examine not only positive expectations but also the fears or concerns travelers may have. This allowed students to explore how tourism companies could reinforce their values in a transparent and authentic way.

By developing a clear customer persona that represented their audience, the teams were able to define both the core desires of visitors and the challenges faced by tourism businesses today.

Picture 2. Building and Presenting a Customer Persona to the other groups

Day 3 – Visiting Sunday Morning Collection

Wednesday morning we were off to Pyhä, coffee in hand and excitement in the air.

After nearly two hours of travel and learning about the many little places we passed along the way that make Lapland so unique, we arrived at Sunday Morning Collection on the shores of Lake Pyhäjärvi.

Although the weather was cloudy with a bit of rain, that didn’t slow things down. After changing into the clothing provided by the resort, we headed down to the lake.

For the next hour we shared plenty of laughs while snowshoeing on the frozen lake and trying ice fishing, before warming up with drinks around the fire shelter.

Picture 3. Photo shoot session while Snowshoeing at Sunday Morning Collection

Picture 4. Nico and Miguel hoping to catch a fish on Pyhäjärvi

Back at the resort we enjoyed lunch while learning about the company’s values and philosophy. Afterward the team generously showed us around the facilities and answered countless questions from the students. Three of the six teams would ultimately focus their project development on this location.

Before returning to Rovaniemi, we made a quick stop at Santa Claus Village, allowing a few students to take advantage of the limited free time during such an intense course.

Day 4 – Ideation and Prototyping

Thursday morning it was time to move fully into the ideation phase.

This was the moment when the groups unleashed their creativity and generated a wide range of ideas without worrying about limitations. The goal was simply to explore as many possibilities as possible.

Picture 5. Now is the time to start the Ideation process

Eventually the teams began narrowing their focus, identifying the most practical and relevant ideas that could realistically connect luxury experiences with regenerative tourism principles.

After lunch and several cups of coffee, the next step was to bring these ideas to life through prototyping. Using simple materials and a lot of creativity, the classroom quickly filled with handmade models and visual concepts.

This stage allowed everyone to clearly see the directions the projects were taking as team members focused on different strengths—from crafting paper forests to creating clay models of retired huskies.

Picture 6. It is time to start building the Prototypes

The day wrapped up with napkin pitches, where teams briefly presented their early concepts and received feedback from teachers before continuing development.

Day 5 – Exploring Skýra Retreat

Friday morning there was a buzz in the air as students gathered for the bus. The night before had been clear, and many people had seen the Northern Lights from Rovaniemi. Stories and photos were being shared as we headed toward Skýra Retreat.

Upon arrival we stepped into the beautifully restored old schoolhouse, now transformed into a high-end luxury retreat.

After learning about the concept and asking plenty of questions, we explored the property and the unique rooms that reflect the history of the school and the lives connected to it.

Then came a highlight of the week.

Students were divided into smaller groups to experience Skýra’s spa and sauna culture. Guided by sauna masters, the experience became far more than simply sitting in the sauna—it turned into a carefully crafted multi-sensory experience.

Guests could also try ice swimming, relax in outdoor jacuzzis, and finish the experience by grilling sausages together.

Before long the alarms sounded and it was time to head back to the bus, because there was still plenty of work to be done.

Day 6 – Crunch Time

After returning from the calm atmosphere of the spa, it was time to shift back into work mode.

Over the next four hours teams finalized their prototypes and gathered feedback through interviews and discussions.

Because it was Saturday, we were fortunate to have the university largely to ourselves. The building turned into a hive of activity as groups moved between rooms refining their projects and making adjustments based on what they had learned about the partner companies.

Once everything was complete, Sunday offered a much-needed break for everyone to recharge. Many students used the time to explore Rovaniemi through snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, and other excursions.

Day 7 – Final Presentations

Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for arrived.

Teams had four final hours to refine their prototypes and presentations before delivering their final pitches to key stakeholders, including the teachers and commissioners.

As the pitches began, everyone was genuinely impressed with the innovative ideas proposed. Each team presented their experiences through the lens of their customer personas while demonstrating how their concepts could combine luxury tourism with regenerative tourism principles.

Every team brought forward something unique that could potentially be developed further by the companies and help them continue building innovative programs.

A Week to Remember

The course was coordinated by Petra Paloniemi and Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä (Lapland UAS), with lectures and guidance from Miguel Bravo Madrid (Breda UAS) and Professor Nico Stengel (Kempten UAS).

For Lapland UAS students, the week also included a pricing workshop led by Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä, where teams explored how to develop appropriate pricing strategies for the tourism products they created.

It was a fantastic experience where we saw students quickly become friends within such a dynamic international group. While Rovaniemi is home for some of us, it was exciting to see the reactions of the students from Breda and Kempten as they explored Lapland—many experiencing the Northern Lights for the first time.

The intensive week certainly lived up to its name: packed with learning, collaboration, and inspiration.

Students left not only with the Design Thinking toolkit, but also with the possibility of helping lead tourism toward a more regenerative mindset.

This integration was commissioned and supported by the EU funded project (ERDF) Innovation of New Luxury Service Pathways (LUPPO).

Kyle Miller
Teacher’s Assistant
Degree Programme in Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Tourism
Lapland University of Applied Sciences

Picture 7. A final group photo after a successful course.