Kestävän luontomatkailun uhat ja mahdollisuudet Kolin ja Urho Kekkosen kansallispuistoissa

In the past few decades, sustainable nature tourism has become one of the most growing and debatable fields of the tourism industry. This article focuses on analyzing the possibilities and threats regarding sustainable nature tourism of two Finnish national parks: Koli in North Karelia and Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland. The main data of the study consists of the interviews of the park managers and planners and of the survey study of the companies and societies cooperating with the parks. The main findings of the study suggest that the entrepreneurs operating in the national parks have adapted to the sustainability thinking and are developing their businesses in that regard. From the park management’s point of view, the concept of sustainable nature tourism and local cooperation by that means has been an effective tool to improve tourism and the positive attitudes towards the parks. Nevertheless, the concept of sustainability is complex, and there are multiple factors setting different expectations for tourism and the parks. This means that reaching a compromise between the park and tourism development and the limits of sustainability is more or less debatable.