Luminia case retkeilysivusto

A hiking website increased the attractiveness of the region and extended visitors’ length of stay

CASE: Building a website for tourism companies

In this project, a hiking website was built that brings together the area’s attractions, services, and activities. The website makes it easier for visitors to find information, encourages them to explore new destinations, and extends the length of their stay in the area.

Initial situation

The Korpijärvi lake area in Mäntyharju is a popular travel destination, but its offerings were scattered across multiple sources. Visitors had difficulty finding comprehensive information about nearby attractions and hiking destinations.

As a result, visits were often short, and local businesses had to spend a significant amount of time guiding customers.

A tourism company operating in the area wanted to improve the situation not only for its own benefit but also for the benefit of other local businesses.

Project goal

The goal of the project was to extend visitors’ length of stay by providing a clear and inspiring overview of the area’s destinations and activities.

At the same time, the aim was to make it easier for visitors to find information independently and reduce the need for customer service.

What was done

The project was implemented as part of a business group initiative supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (Rural Development Programme for Mainland Finland 2014–2020).

The project included a comprehensive mapping of hiking destinations and attractions within approximately a one-hour radius. The mapping also identified lesser-known locations that offer visitors new experiences.

A dedicated brand identity and visual style were created for the area, including a logo designed to reflect the structure and vitality of Lake Korpijärvi. The logo symbolizes Lake Korpijärvi as consisting of two separate lake areas and the four villages surrounding them. The colourful design was intended to highlight the vibrant life of the lakeside villages.

For each destination, essential information was compiled and clear descriptive texts were written. The content was complemented with the companies’ own photographs as well as selected stock images.

The website was built using the WordPress content management system with a lightweight, mobile-friendly theme that was customized through coding to match the brand’s visual identity. Basic search engine optimization was also implemented.

The website was built in both Finnish and English.

Luminia icon results

RESULTS 

  • The website presents over 30 local businesses and more than 40 attractions and hiking destinations.
  • The area’s visibility and attractiveness have increased.
  • Visitors are now staying longer in the region.
  • Customers are able to find activities independently, which reduces the workload of customer service.
  • Some visitors return to the area specifically to explore more destinations.
  • The website ranks among the top results on Google for several hiking-related search terms.

Luminia icon lessons learned

PROJECT LESSON 

The value of the hiking website comes primarily from content that genuinely benefits the user – not from technical complexity.

Luminia icon project information

PROJECT INFORMATION 

Client: Finnish SME operating in the tourism industry
Client relationship duration:over 15 years
Project scope: website design and implementation
Project scale: extensive multilingual website project (approximately 50 pages per language)
Client responsibilities: concept development, and mapping of hiking destinations
My responsibilities: concept development, mapping hiking destinations, strategic planning, visual design, technical planning, content planning, website implementation (WordPress setup, photography, image sourcing, image editing, copywriting, coding, and page layout), basic search engine optimization, and project documentation for funders