Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Perspectives
Raija Komppula, Arvo Peltonen, Tom Ylkänen and Taneli Kokkila
Introduction
changed, reproducing and reflecting the histori-
cal processes of power divisions in the region.
The 2004 EU enlargement has had substantial
impact on the relationships between the neigh-
bouring countries around the Gulf.
Economic and cultural cooperation between
Finland and Estonia has always been strong,
partly because of the nations' similar ethnic back-
grounds: both are Finno-Ugric, speaking lan-
guages that are closely related to each other; but
there are some differences reflected in diver-
gences of cultural heritage as well. The cultural
and political roots of Finland have linked it
more closely to Scandinavian countries, espe-
cially Sweden, with independent peasants' politi-
cal and cultural sentiments. Estonian cultural and
political heritage has been orientated more to
Central Europe, especially Germany, with more
Hanseatic and feudal features.
Both countries have been influenced also by
the past political dominance of Imperial Russia:
for Finland from 1809 to 1917, and for Estonia
for about three centuries up to 1918. The prox-
imity of the imperial capital, St Petersburg had
strong economic and cultural impacts on both
countries. During the collapse of the Russian
Empire and the Bolshevik revolution both
nations gained their independence, Finland in
1917 and Estonia in 1918.
Although the economic-political history
of the nations has been slightly different, their
mental and cultural ability to communicate and
change ideas has been extensive and versatile.
The purpose of this chapter is to briefly examine
the implications for the Finnish tourism industry
of the Baltic countries' accession to the European
Union. First of all, the relationships between
Finland and Estonia, and between Finland and
Russia, are briefly introduced. In the second
section, reflections on transformations and EU
enlargement in the Baltic Sea rim are offered at
a general level. This is followed by a brief intro-
duction to multi-level, cross-border cooperation
in the area, focusing on tourism development.
Development of tourism flows in the Baltics and
Finland are then compared, and a short intro-
duction to the Baltics and Finland as tourist des-
tinations is presented. We then look at some of
the most interesting trans-national projects in the
field of infrastructural development. Finally, the
results of a Finnish tourism practitioners' interview
on the implications of the Baltics' accession are
presented (Fig. 12.1).
The Relationship Between
Finland and Estonia
The eastern enlargement of the EU from a
Finnish perspective has important implications
for the economic, cultural and political relation-
ships of the countries around the Gulf of
Finland. Along the course of history, the relative
permeability
of
borders
in
the
region
has
