Culture as part of tourism thoughts from Susanna

I have to say, that as a lecturer I was really intersted in the key note Asta from Kaunas gave today. She pointed out many interesting things that connects tourism to culture. If culture is not part of tourism then what is? Can they even be separated? I think that in many case they can't.

Did you know that Turku is currently the European Capital of Culture together with Tallinn, Estonia? This has already created a tourism buzz to the city. Apparently the occupancy rates of January were very high compared to the normal low season.

The foundation "Turku 2011" is involved in developing the operating conditions for culture. But as the people in Turku say: Turku is a Capital of Culture for more than one year - always! And as a result of that, the foundations aim is that all activities are planned with long-term effects.

Turku is on fire

Fire is a common factor for all old European cities, The city of Turku has experienced over 30 fires of different sizes during its history. The Great Fire of Turku in 1827 remains the most devastating fire in the Nordic Countries. Fire has been the thematic dimension for the 2011 year. We all hope that also tourism will catch "fire" during this year!