Tourism

The tourism industry offers a wide range of business opportunities

The Raahe Region offers tourists authentic and local experiences in an enchanting seaside town and idyllic rural landscapes along rivers. The people of the region are friendly, honest, and genuine, and they are happy to welcome visitors. Tourists should be prepared for the refreshing and mind-clearing sea breeze that is always present - sometimes as a gentle breeze and sometimes a powerful roar.

Well-being and experiences in pure nature

Raahe Region has a wealth of magnificent and diverse nature, such as forests, rivers, and coastal areas, which offer excellent opportunities for nature tourism throughout the year.

The area has hundreds of kilometres of nature trails, and route information has also been compiled in digital form. The globally popular gravel biking can be enjoyed on the 320-kilometer Flatland Route, which is also suitable for beginners. In addition to hiking and cycling, you can enjoy the outdoors by the varied waterways, with their rushing rapids, on the coast, and in the award-winning archipelago.

Nature tourism opportunities include guided tours and excursions, courses, cruises, and other services combined with nature experiences, where the only limit is your imagination. The changing seasons bring even more options. As is typical for the coast, the weather changes quickly, and inland the weather can differ greatly from the conditions prevailing by the sea.

Sustainable tourism is a growing trend, and many travellers are increasingly looking for ecological and ethical options. The Raahe Region wants to take a step further and move closer to transformative tourism, where travellers leave the destination in a better state than when they arrived through their own positive contributions. Local and new tourism operators are offered free guidance and advice on promoting sustainable tourism in the region.

Culture, authentic flavours, and health

The historical and cultural heritage of the region is a real treasure trove for tourism in the area. Stories and monuments from the sailing ship era and wartime provide an inexhaustible source of inspiration for creating memorable tourist services. The region has numerous museums, such as Finland's oldest local museum in Raahe, which preserve evidence of times gone by. History also feels very alive in 19th-century Old Town of Raahe, with its internationally significant square market complex built in the Italian Renaissance style. One of the region's most famous attractions is the world's oldest preserved diving suit, "Wanha Herra" (Old Man).

More recent culture is on offer in numerous events throughout the year, which attract audiences from all over Finland. In addition to larger events, the region offers a constant stream of concerts, theatre, comedy, and changing art exhibitions, some of which are completely free of charge to the public. Local sport industry is also very active, and for instance Raahe has a team on Superpesis which is Finland's highest level of Finnish baseball. A new Koivuluoto Arena has been built in Raahe for cultural and sporting events, which will open in January 2026.

The Raahe Region also has good opportunities to develop farm tourism and utilize the offerings of local producers in food and restaurant services. In terms of accommodation services, there could be demand in the region for cottage accommodation and personalized boutique hotels in particular. Wellness tourism is also a growing international trend, and the region offers an excellent setting for taking advantage of this. Services focused on relaxation and health can easily be combined with experiences in pure nature or Finnish sauna culture and pampering treatments. The City of Raahe has already zoned a small sauna village in the Pikkulahti recreation area, and a new seaside residential area will also be built nearby in the future.

Free guidance and advice are available for the productization of tourism services. As they see fit, tourism operators can sign a partnership package of their choice with Visit Raahe, which is responsible for developing tourism in the region, to increase their visibility.