Hospitality Management Degree Programme in Tourism 2023

Concerning the question if all of the customers see the aurora, the informant said that witnessing the lights is a phenomenon that cannot be guaranteed. However, the company makes every effort to select locations and times that maximize the chances of experiencing this spectacle. In case the northern lights are not visible, there is an assortment of activities and experiences so that the guests can still have enjoyable time.
When asked about the challenges, the informant shared encountering some difficulties such as bad weather conditions that can affect the feasibility of activities or routes. Additionally, the company is faced with the necessity to constantly adapt to meet the needs and preferences of its guests making sure to provide an enjoyable experience for each individual. Lastly, coordinating logistics and transportation for groups was mentioned as an occasional challenge.
As for the ways to ensure the guests have a good time on a tour, the informant praised the team of friendly guides who are genuinely passionate about the region and its attractions. Also, the company prioritizes the safety, comfort and satisfaction of its guests, maintains lines of communication with clients promptly addressing any concerns or questions they may have and continuously enhances its services based on feedback and suggestions from the guests.
Feedback from guests is actively collected in order to gain insights into their experiences and identify areas where improvements can be made. This feedback helps the company enhance its services to meet the expectations of all the guests. Most tourists appreciate the experiences offered in the region along with the professionalism and friendliness exhibited by the guides of Record Travel. Criticisms occasionally arise regarding weather conditions or specific activities, and are taken into consideration when planning tours.
Finally, concerning the sustainability the answer to the question was as follows: “We are dedicated, to ensuring the long-term sustainability of our business. Our main focus lies in practicing tourism, which involves minimizing our impact, on the environment and supporting the communities. We collaborate closely with suppliers and partners who share our dedication to sustainability. Furthermore, we consistently adopt measures that aim to minimize waste conserve energy and encourage eco practices. Our ultimate objective is to preserve the beauty of the region so that future generations can also experience its magnificence”.

The second interview was created to analyze customer satisfaction with the Northern Lights tours. In the second chapter, a study was mentioned on the expectations of Japanese tourists in Sweden, and whether not fulfilling a primary goal of a journey (seeing the aurora) impacted their satisfaction with the tour. This gave the idea to test whether the guests of Record Travel are happy with the tours. Interview 1 contained a lot of praise from the owner of the business. It is valuable to analyze the tours from the guests’ perspective.

Three groups of respondents were questioned as collectives during November. The sample included these people on the grounds of their accessibility and willingness to participate. The list of questions can be found in Appendix 2. Before participating in research, the informants were told about the aims of the interview, the aspects of security and confidentiality and were encouraged not to answer the questions if those made them uncomfortable. It was decided to compile an interview of only 7 questions in order to get essential data about the informants’ impressions of a tour but not to deter them longer than it is necessary.

Here is the data collected from these interviews:
There were three groups of informants participating in a survey. They were families from three different countries: Ireland, Singapore, and the USA.
None of the groups saw the Northern Lights due to bad weather.
Two of the groups came to Lapland to see the snow.
All of the groups are happy with the experience, with two families mentioning the kids enjoying winter activities and having fun.
When asked about what they liked specifically, the families gave these answers: “We like that here a lot of snow, in forest so quiet and dark, no any light from city”
“Time that we spend with the nature in Finland, kids liked guides stories about wild animals in Finland”
“We like the atmosphere of this place and the guides who are very kind and welcoming”.
As for things they did not like, two groups of the informants expressed regret about not seeing the Northern Lights, but did not blame it on the company, saying “we know that this is nature and its unpredictable” and “unfortunately didn’t have enough luck to see it”. A family in the USA complained about the cold weather.
The last question was whether or not the guests would recommend this type of holiday. All of them confirmed that they would. A family from Ireland said that they it was their second holiday in Rovaniemi, and that they know about this place from their friends, who really enjoyed being there with kids. A family from the USA highlighted the advantage of going on this tour at the time of the interview, because in high season people would have to pay high prices.
6 PERSONAL OBSERVATION

During the months of October and November, a series of personal observations were carried out during the tours. The goal of the observations was to collect any valuable pieces of data that the interviews may have omitted. The guidelines for the observation were the three types of customer needs and the main goal of the project: finding perspectives for improvement. The data gathered from observation can be divided into two groups: positive and negative experiences on the tours provided by Record Travel.

Positive experiences
On bus tours, customers can hide from the cold in the bus.
The guides are well-equipped with everything necessary to complete a tour successfully and to provide medical assistance, if needed.
Guests are treated with food and beverages. Vegetarian dishes are provided for those who request them in advance.
Bonfires are used for warmth.
On hiking tours, there are stops for rest and basic needs fulfilment (food, drink toilet, etc.)
On hiking tours, challenging obstacles are accompanied by railings with ropes for safety and assistance.
On all the tours, customers get comprehensive information and instructions.
On all the tours, guests learn about places of attraction and listen to stories.
On all the tours, guests can take photos of Lapland wilderness, to capture the beauty of Arctic nature.
On Northern Lights tours, there is a possibility to visit more than one location to hunt down the evasive phenomenon.
The company can lend warm clothing for people lacking it.

Negative experiences
Sometimes the Northern Lights do not appear.
Ascents, descents and obstacles can be too steep or slippery. I witnessed instances where tourists start sliding and struggle to maintain their balance without enough strength to hold on tightly.
The weather can be too cold.
Visitors can be improperly dressed for Arctic winter. I saw tourists from warm countries such as India, China or the Southern part of Europe come for a 3-4-hour tour in sports sneakers, light outerwear, without hats, scarves or gloves.
The tour could be cancelled because of extreme weather conditions.
Children can get bored.
There can be not enough warm clothes to borrow, or not all the sizes can be available
7 RESEARCH ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION

In this chapter, the analysis of data acquired in the course of study will be represented and a plan for further development suggested. It seemed that the creation of Record Travel is part of a bigger process of formation this type of companies in the region. The owner did not invent anything unique, but followed in the footsteps of other similar businesses, which worked fine. Arctic beauty and natural attractions were already there. The flood of tourists existed already as well. So, all was left to do is to serve as a medium between the two.

The interviews and the personal observations showed some similarities to the data collected from theoretical literature, but there were some differences as well. For example, studies about other tours to various countries mentioned instances of basic needs not being fulfilled or routes happening to be too difficult for hikers. The qualitative data gathered by the author did not reveal any cases of such misfortunes about Record Travel tours.

The tourists seem to be well-informed without having unrealistic expectations about tours. Moreover, customer satisfaction is confirmed from both sides: by the company owner and by the guests. The first interview mentioned high levels of competence and enthusiasm of the guides, and the second interview confirmed it. In the first interview, it was stated that guest can enjoy a tour even if they do not see the aurora, and the second interview contained only positive evaluations. It can be concluded that the owner of Record Travel is well in touch with his clients and does a good job satisfying their needs.

Personal observation provided some data that none of the studies the author came across talked about. For example, there was a study that mentioned the difficulty of walking in snow shoes for inexperienced tourists, but there were no mentions of the challenges of slippery ascents and descents. The importance of warm clothing was not highlighted enough, because it is essential to remember that people around the globe can live in various kinds of climate, including those that never have the snow. So, lack of knowledge about northern winters should always be considered, because it leads to tourists coming to Lapland unequipped and unprepared. Finally, a point could be made about the food provided on tours in Rovaniemi. There was a study that recommended offering hot meals for tourists to enhance the experience. Not only is the food provided for guests of Record Travel, it can also be served according to food preferences of customers, such as vegetarian meals.

Certain knowledge and experience are required to conduct these types of tours. For Northern Lights tours the challenge is the lack of guarantee of seeing the cosmic phenomena. Finding the location with better chances for success and entertaining guests in case of no-show are the difficulties the company has to face. For hiking tours, the challenge is Arctic climate and landscape. People should be properly dressed for winter exercise. Footwear is also important. The organizers did not create the trails, using the existing ones, so the knowledge was gathered collectively by the whole tourism industry in the area, not by the efforts of just one experience provider.

There are many things that the company does successfully. On condition of making all the necessary preparation, one can complete the tours without experiencing any health issues or risks. All potential reasons for discomfort are mostly dealt with in the course of 3-5-hour tours. Food, fire and hot drinks are provided, toilets can be found, and warm clothes can be borrowed. People with food preferences are provided with menu accordingly: vegetarian meals, absence of pork in dishes, or other.

From the informational point, there are also many successes revealed by the interviews. Even though, not every Northern Lights tour provides customers with the advertised experience, overall, the customers feel quite satisfied. This is achieved by informing the guests about the nature of the phenomenon, how it forms, and why it cannot be guaranteed. Information about clothing and required equipment can be found online. After meeting the guests, the guides provide them with the instructions and the information about the process of the tour. This helps create certain expectations, due to which the clients do not feel stressed or lost. Finally, the guests are entertained with the stories from local culture and get the opportunity to try various winter activities and enjoy the beauty of Lapland wilderness with forests, frozen lakes and waterfalls, etc., depending on the content of the tour. Because of this, they feel that the journey was not a waste, and that they had fun in many ways.

All of this fun could have a negative impact on the environment, but Record Travel also strive to manage the business in a sustainable way. The company uses practiced that helps preserve the natural beauty of the environment and supports the communities. The guides are provided with trash bags to collect the waste and carry it out of the wilderness. The company also collaborates with suppliers and who support the principles of sustainability. For example, firewood is provided by the Finnish Forest Community

As for the challenges, most of them are connected with things that are out of control of the company. Snowstorms can lead to cancellations of trips, because it is too risky or impossible to conduct a tour in extreme Arctic weather conditions. Aurora borealis can simply not appear, leaving the guides with the necessity to make a decision on the course of actions: to stay and wait longer, to entertain the guests with something else, to move to a different location, or to go home. And the hiking trails with frozen paths and slippery slopes can be somewhat challenging, especially if the guests are not used to walking on such surfaces.

Another challenge is caused by the combination of factors: the harshness of Arctic winter and the lack of experience on the side of the customers, due to which they can come on the tour not dressed warmly enough. There can even be instances when people’s luggage is misplaced due to the error of the airline. If there are too many such mistakes, or too many visitors in general, the company (actually, all companies in the town) can experience lack of warm clothing to rent out. This seems like a valid concern, because the number of tourists in Rovaniemi is increasing. During the peak season in 2021, there were 1.61 million visitors registered in Lapland. (Statistics Finland 2021.) Some of them encountered the difficulty borrowing winter clothes, because they were out of stock.

Overall, if there is any customer dissatisfaction or negative feedback, Record Travel claims to take it into account and adapt to improve its services. Attention to feedback and enthusiastic guides that connect with the guests are the advantages of the company that help it deal with appearing challenges.

Development plan

Record Travel already has methods to solve current challenges that it encounters, so the following ideas for development would not be aimed at improving what is already being practiced, but at introducing new things that could take the tours to the next level.

The issue of not having warm clothes currently seems like the biggest one. Finding a way to provide all the guests with proper winter clothing would be a great improvement. Providing winter clothes for rent is beneficial for both sides. The customer would have a much greater experiences in Rovaniemi despite the cold, whereas the company would generate income from rentals and receive positive reviews highlighting its excellent services. Also, it is necessary to provide the clothing of different sizes, because many visitors are families with children of various ages.

An assortment of winter accessories for rent could improve customer experience as well. There are instances when people simply lose their hats and gloves. I have heard stories of children experiencing hypothermia because some parents may not be aware that they are cold. And the children might be too engrossed in their activities to realize that they are feeling cold and may not inform their parents about it. Competent guides, of course, could take charge of this situation and ensure that both children and adults have all the accessories to protect themselves from the cold.

Providing even more warmth for the customers could be achieved by using special tents that can accommodate up to 10 people. People may appreciate the opportunity to wait for the Northern Lights in an enclosed space that retains heat better and longer. The tourists could take refuge from cold in this tent and come out to see the aurora upon receiving a call from their guide and not miss out on anything.

Steep and slippery slopes are somewhat risky for inexperienced hikers. Even though ropes and railings are provided, tourists can still lose their balance, slide or fall down. It is not particularly dangerous and does not expose people to severe health risks, but can be unpleasant. Usually people cope with falling down quite well, they laugh at it together with their friends and family. But additional equipment could be provided to make the experience even safer. For instance, skiers use special poles for country skiing. Personally, I have never seen hikers using them, or walking sticks, during a tour. If people were given an opportunity to use them, it could greatly facilitate the movement and increase the walking speed. Additionally, if someone goes downhill, they could use walking sticks to control the speed of the descent.

From the informational point, the experience of other countries could be adopted. Currently, a lot of information is provided by Rovaniemi websites in relation to the content of tours, the appropriate winter clothing, and some other tips. This could be further improved by giving more detailed tour descriptions - including whether they're suitable for people with health limitations and disabilities. Additionally, offering a time lapse video lasting a couple of minutes showcasing the landscape and demonstrating the steepness of descents and ascents would be helpful as well. This way tourists can get a preview of what the hiking tour will look like in advance and estimate the difficulty and the necessary fitness level for participation.

Online interaction with customers should be an important part of company operations. Record Travel already gathers feedback from the customers and decides on improvement based on the comments. But there is always room for improvement. For example, it is crucial to respond to the feedback and provide information if similar comments continue to come in. This requires a lot of patience from the managers, especially if the clients make mistakes in their comments, but as a result the company can enhance its reputation online.

The assortment of activities provided by the organizer could be increased. Children tend to get bored easily and exhaust their parents while waiting for the Northern Lights. Sleds can be made available so that the children could ride them by themselves and give their parents an opportunity to take a break. Alternatively, the whole family could use of this simple piece of equipment to send some quality time together.

Finally, it could be suggested to enlarge the list of locations for visits. For example, the company could organize tours to the Korouoma Nature Reserve for photographers and nature enthusiasts during the winter season. People do not even need professional photo cameras to enjoy such a journey, because modern smartphones cameras are on par with them. For those who want to take unique, stunning and rare photos, this tour would definitely be an appealing option.

If the developments listed above are taken into consideration, this could lead to better service, greater customer satisfaction and higher profits for the company.
8 DISCUSSION

This thesis is an attempt to analyse Northern Lights and hiking tours and the north in order to find perspectives for their development. On the whole, the author of this thesis was satisfied with the progress and the result of the thesis. Studying the principles of scientific research and attempting to apply them in reality was a challenging and rewarding task. This chapter contains the summary of major findings of the project.

Firstly, a literature analysis was conducted in order to gain theoretical data on the topic and to study the methodological principles of writing a scientific paper. The topic reading provided insights into current body of knowledge on the topics of Northern Lights and hiking tours. The first chapter contains the analysis of studies about Arctic tourism in general, the Northern Lights specifically and alternative ways to entertain tourists if the cosmic show does not appear. The second chapter focuses on hiking tours and their elements, customer needs of hiking tours, and sustainability of this kind of tourism. This data became the basis for qualitative research preparation.

In order to create a development strategy for a particular company, a qualitative study was conducted to gain more detailed data about it. A qualitative interview with the owner of the company and short interviews with several groups of guests provided information about the positive and the negative aspects of existing tours. It can be stated that from the point of tour organization there is little to complain about. The owner of Record Travel praises the tours and the employees, and the customers give positive feedback. So, the development plan should be focused not on fixing current problems, but on adding new elements to the tours or even new products. Due to the popularity of northern tours, there is potential for growth.

Finally, a development plan was suggested. It includes ideas for taking better care of the customers in terms of lending them winter clothing, big tents and walking sticks, which can enhance their safety. Some other ideas are related to informational aspect. Showing not only the beautiful but also the challenging parts of a hiking trail will help visitors make an informed decision on whether they would be willing to participate in a tour. Lastly, new activities could be added, such as sleds for children, and new products could be introduced, for example, a trip to the Korouoma Nature Reserve.

The findings of this thesis can contribute to current scientific data on the topic of northern tours, for some of the existing information is confirmed and some new findings added. Readers can learn about the products offered by tour companies in Lapland and use this knowledge for comparison with tour organization in other countries. Practical application of results of this study is connected with improvement of Northern Lights and hiking tours in the north.

The thesis possesses certain limitations. The sample size for the interviews was rather small, so one should not make any major generalizations. But this study can be used to conduct similar studies on larger sample groups and gain more knowledge.
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APPENDICES

Appendix 1. List of questions for Interview 1.
Appendix 2. List of questions for Interview 2.
Appendix 1. List of questions for Interview 1.

General questions.
1. What do you do in this business? What is your occupation and what are your responsibilities?
2. How long have you been working in this business?
3. Have you got the experience of doing other jobs in the field of northern tours?
4. Why did you choose this type of business?
5. How do you feel about it so far? Do you enjoy it?

In-depth questions.
6. A hiking tour requires certain preparation. What preparation steps need to be taken to make a tour a success?
7. How big is a group of tourists? Is this a good size of a group or it could be bigger or smaller?
8. What can a traveler expect on a tour? How does it start? What happens in the end?
9. Could you tell me about the itinerary? How has it been created? Why were these locations chosen?
10. Is the weather an important factor for this type of tours? What kind of influence does it have?
11. What kind of clothing and equipment is necessary for a northern hiking tour?
12. What kind of food do tourists eat on a hiking tour?
13. Where do the visitors sleep on a tour?
14. Is it possible to use a bathroom? How is this need fulfilled?
15. Are there any age, health or other limitations for this type of tourism?
16. Is this type of tourism expensive?
17. Do all the tourists manage to see the northern lights? What happens if they don’t?
18. Could you describe some challenges you faced?
19. What do you do to make sure the guests have a good time on a tour?
20. Do you collect feedback? What do the tourists like most? What are the criticisms?
21. Can you call this business sustainable? Do you take any steps towards improving its sustainability?
Appendix 2. List of questions for Interview 2.

Hello, my name is Aleksei . I am currently working on a thesis devoted to Northern Lights and hiking tours. I would like to ask you a few questions on your experience, if that is OK with you. The interview will be anonymous. The data will be used only for the purposes of science. There will be 7 questions in the interview. If any of the questions make you feel uncomfortable, you do not need to answer them.

Where are you from?
Why did you choose this type of holiday?
Did you see the northern lights?
Are you happy with the experience?
Could you tell me what you liked about the tour?
Was there anything you didn’t like or could be better?
Would you recommend this type of holiday to other people?