The expert panel of the Nature and Wilderness Museum liked what they saw at Imatra

The group of experts from the Wilderness and Nature Culture Museum visited Imatra on Thursday and Friday. The group includes representatives from the museum agency, the hunting museum and a cultural consulting company. The group works closely with the fishing museum association, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

On Thursday evening, the guests discussed the provincial director Sikanen's fairy tale, deputy mayor Kaisa Heinon and contact director Tea Laitimon with about the possibilities of Imatra as a museum location.

─ This conversation was very good and opened us up to more about Imatra's characteristics, project manager of the project Timo Kukko says.

On Friday, the guests learned about the possibilities of turning the town hall into a museum and got to know the facilities of Kulttuuritalo Virra. They also visited Imatra's Kylpylä and Varpasaari fishing park and heard about Saimaa Geopark.

─ Regarding the building, i.e. the town hall and the infrastructure, things are right at Imatra. It is important to us that the railway connection is close by. The airport is also good. You can't rely on private cars alone if you want international visitors to the museum as well, Kukko states.

Kukko still sees the region's carrying capacity, i.e. what kind of consumption base it has behind it, as a matter to be clarified.

He emphasizes that, depending on the number of international visitors, the museum generates an income of around 5-15 million euros for the area. The museum's share of this amount is only a small slice in the form of box office receipts.

Saimaa is one strong asset

Kukko sees one of Imatra's strengths in the museum competition is that the city is part of the Saimaa region.

─ From the direction of Visit Finland and the government, there is a clear will to develop tourism in Järvi-Finland, Kukko states.

As Imatra's trump card, the expert group also saw that in South Karelia, the cultural relationship with both hunting and fishing is very strong. There is also a wide selection of routes in the area for hiking, boating and cycling.

─ You clearly have a very wide range of species here in relation to nature. We were also impressed by how enthusiastically the officials and trustees are committed to the museum project and to the development of tourism in general, says Kukko.

A group of experts will go through all the towns that have made it to the next round and inform you later how the selection process is progressing.

For more information:

Imatra City Liaison Director Tea Laitimo, tel. 020 617 2212, teaimatra.fi (tea[dot]laitimo[at]imatra[dot]fi)

Timo Kukko, project manager of Matsähallitus, tel. 020 6394644, timo.cockmetsa.fi (timo[dot]kukko[at]metsa[dot]fi)