Artikkelit

Julkaistu

Mass tourism – what are the consequences and solutions?

Mass tourism is a phenomenon observed in many popular destinations and it has many negative consequences on the environment.

Mass tourism is when there is such a concentration of tourists in one place that there are social, economic or ecological consequences. Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, for example, are cities particularly affected by mass tourism but there are also natural places like Komodo Island, Machu Picchu, or Maya Bay in Thailand. Several reasons attract tourists to these places such as famous monuments, popular beaches, famous sites due to film or series shootings…

What are the consequences of mass tourism?

Firstly, mass tourism can also have positive aspects. Indeed, tourism generates money for the local population and the country. Moreover, it can create new jobs. But unfortunately, the negative consequences are more numerous. The major problems caused by mass tourism are :

  • A high production of CO2 caused by the very polluting transports such as planes or cruise ships. The transportation industry is a major contributor to climate change.
  • A rise in rents in the cities and a lack of space for locals. In the most touristic places, hotels and vacation residences are not enough. To compensate for this lack of space, many accommodations are transformed into Airbnb or are rented to tourists, which does not leave much room for locals.
  • The destruction of natural areas for the benefit of touristic infrastructures. The constructions destroy fauna and flora, which can lead to the extinction of certain species.

What are the solutions adopted by the destinations?

Some destinations are forced to take drastic measures to fight against mass tourism. Among these measures there are quotas, regulations, limited duration of visits, mandatory reservations, taxes for visitors or even temporary closure of certain places. Here are some examples:

  • Santorini, a popular destination for cruise passengers, has imposed a cap of 8,000 visitors per day for cruise ships.
  • In Amsterdam, Airbnb owners can only rent their property for 60 days a year and for a maximum of 4 people. This prevents too many party-goers in the party-heavy city but also prevents all properties from being owned by investors which leaves no room for locals.
  • The island of Boracay in the Philippines has totally closed its access to tourists for 6 months to let the biodiversity regenerate and to make a big cleaning.
  • The site of Machu Picchu in Peru also had to adopt many measures. From now on, you have to book a time slot to be able to visit it. The visit cannot last more than 4 hours and it is obligatory to be accompanied by an approved guide.


What are the solutions to travel more sustainably?

You can make your travel more sustainable by adopting small habits. Here are a few tips:

  • Travel with sustainable transportation. Use public transportation such as trains or buses which have lower CO2 emissions. You can also opt for the bicycle.
  • Avoid traveling in high season to avoid the big tourist flows. If possible, do not travel at the same time as families and regular vacationers. Traveling in low season is often cheaper and more sustainable.
  • Opt for micro-adventures. As we have noticed during the Covid 19 pandemic, you don’t have to travel very far from home to experience things. Let yourself be surprised by the hidden places around you.
  • Support the local economy by shopping at local businesses. Locals are often the ones who suffer the most from mass tourism, by going to local restaurants and stores, you support the locals financially.

Text: Camille De Borman, exchange student from Haute École Galilée University of Applied Sciences in Belgium
Pictures: Pixabay


Sources :
https://www.thestorytellersmtl.com/tourisme-de-masse-destinations-2020/
https://www.businessinsider.fr/ces-14-destinations-ont-du-prendre-des-mesures-face-au-tourisme-de-masse-138064#bloemenmarkt-amsterdam
https://www.lefigaro.fr/voyages/quotas-taxes-interdictions-les-mesures-de-12-
destinations-contre-le-surtourisme-20210731


Julkaistu

Korona teki minusta karavaanarin

Vuonna 2020 meillä oli varattuna matka Kreikkaan heinä-elokuun vaihteeseen koko perheelle. Matka oli todella odotettu: itse en ollut matkustanut ulkomaille kymmeneen vuoteen ja lapset eivät olleet vielä ikinä käyneet ulkomailla. Kuitenkin, kuten kaikki tiedämme, korona iski keväällä 2020 lujaa ja kesän matkahaaveet sai heittää romukoppaan.

Alkujärkytyksen jälkeen aloimme miettimään voisiko matkan kuitenkin korvata jollain muulla, ehkäpä kotimaassa? Punnitsimme eri vaihtoehtoja ja päädyimme lähtemään elämämme ensimmäiselle karavaanarimatkalle asuntoautolla. Reitti mietittiin tarkkaan, samoin kohteet. Monet kiinnostavat paikat olivat kuitenkin kesällä 2020 kiinni ja niitä varten pitää tehdä vielä joskus uusi reissu!

Reissumme alkoi Imatralta ja loppui Rovaniemelle. En muista edes tarkkaan kaikkia kohteita, joissa kävimme, mutta parhaiten jäi mieleen Imatran Kylpylän Taikametsä, Parikkalan Patsaspuisto, Ranua Zoo, tunturit ja gondolihissit, Levin rinteeseen kiipeäminen ja siellä ns. Joulupukin mökin valloittaminen, sekä tietysti joulupukin pajakylä Rovaniemellä.

Kuvat kertovat enemmän, joten tässä pari:

Kotimaan karavaanireissumme oli onnistunut ja turvavälitkin saatiin reissussa hyvin pidettyä (paitsi ehkä kylpylässä). Tästä innostuneena lähdetään varmasti uudestaankin karavaanailemaan, suosittelen muillekin!

Teksti ja kuvat: Satu Laakso, Matkailun tutkinto-ohjelman ensimmäisen vuoden opiskelija


Julkaistu

How I became a tourism student

I am Kashish and I am a migrate student from India, currently I am pursuing my study in tourism at Satakunta University of Applied Science, Pori, Finland.

This post will explain you about the things that happen in a life of a tourism student and a traveler – from being part of a successful business in New Delhi, India, for 5 years to turning into a traveler, and then studying tourism in Finland.

After my schooling in India, I started to work with my father at his business. I thought of studying some degree, but I was not sure what to study. During those days when I was in business there was a lot of travel involved and most of the trips were day trips or one night stay trips. Apart from that, the months in which we expect not much business, I used to go to nearby hill stations for 3-4 days trips. The enjoyment that it gave me was of another level. I have been traveling since my school days, but it was like once-a-year travel which took place in summer holidays with my parents. After joining the business, I learnt that traveling was the thing that brings me joy and feeling that it gives is truly amazing.

Traveling is the thing that brings me joy!

In India parents are very protective of their children. In my school days, I was not allowed to travel for school trips which took place for 3-4 days. As I got into my twenties travel came easier for me as there were no restrictions. I traveled to some destinations in India which I could not have gone to if I was younger. I even went to three foreign destinations – Indonesia, Dubai and Thailand. As a traveler, I could say that best life lessons could be learned through travelling to different places. It broadens your mind and you can create memories for lifetime.

This picture was taken at Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia, in my first international trip in 2018. This trip was so memorable because of an earthquake that happened while I was there: the quake was of 6.6 magnitude, and it literally shook everything, even our beds were dancing!

This picture was taken at the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE. Travelling to Dubai in 2019 was my best trip abroad. Dubai is a place where everyone can find something for enjoyment. This place offers a lot of activities and one can visit many times as they will find something new there every time they go .
This picture is from the Big Buddha Temple in Phuket, Thailand. I went there in 2020 and it was my third international trip. I liked the views that it offers, the beauty of nature and the weather but on the other I didn’t find people there that helpful. People there mostly want to earn as much as they can from tourists.

As a traveler, I understood that I can not combine my business and travel together. I understood that I am not made for staying in a single place and work for several hours, and I wanted to pursue my career in a field that was related to my interests. Tourism was a thing that I loved to gain knowledge of when I was in business. I watched travel vlogs and travel documentaries on YouTube and Netflix for 3-4 hours daily.

As I was passionate to gain knowledge about tourism, I thought why not study it as my bachelor’s degree and find a job related to this field. The variety of jobs that this field offer will certainly help me combine my work with travel!                                                 


Text and pictures: Kashish Gosain, first year International Tourism Management student


Julkaistu

Sharks returned to Maya Bay

When I travel, I try to make small gestures that wouldn’t overwhelm nature too much. One small ‘’green deed’’ is for example using the same water bottle if possible and filling it up whenever you can. In Thailand, you can’t drink tap water, but most stores will have refilling spots. I’d like to talk about preserving nature and tourism spots and use Thailand as example, since I have the most experience from there.

I think that visiting popular destinations should be restricted somehow. There should be fees to enter different places – the fees would be used for preserving the nature i.e. payment for the people taking care of the area.  For example, to enter an island called Koh Lanta in Thailand, you will have to pay 20 baht to get in. 20 baht doesn’t even equal to 1 euro, and I think it should be more than that. For a tourist, paying 100 baht (around 2,5 euros) wouldn’t be too much. They use the money to clean the beaches and areas around the island. Also, in the National Park of Khao Sok, you must pay 300 baht (around 8 euros) to enter. The money goes to preservation of the area. I think more places should do this.

The popular Maya Beach in Thailand was closed because the different tour operators were just after the money, and they took thousands and thousands of tourists a day to a beach that is only 250 meters long. It is no surprise the nature there got very damaged. The multiple speedboats a day didn’t help the corals and other life in the proximity of the beach. According to statistics, the Maya Beach was visited by 1,2 billion tourists between October of 2015 and May of 2016. That is an insane amount of people for just 6-7 months.

Thailand closed the beach and the whole Koh Phi Phi Le’s island from tourists in 2018. It has only been a few years, and the sharks that used to live in the area close to the beach have returned. I think it’s amazing how nature heals so fast when humans aren’t there to disrupt it.

Photo: Wikimedia

I think that popular destinations should have maximum capacities per day, so the areas wouldn’t get too overwhelmed. I would be happy to wait for my turn or pay a fee to get to somewhere if it meant that nature would be preserved. The destinations could also have some kind of a reservation system, where you can book a day and a time to visit. This way the tour operators can keep up well with how many people have visited and travelers can confirm their visit to the location. Waiting some time or paying a little fee shouldn’t hurt. Would it hurt you?

Text: Viveca Antila, second year student in the degree programme in Tourism

Julkaistu

Kotona kaikkialla – minustako diginomadi?

Rakastan matkustamista. Rakastan sen mukanaan tuomaa jännitystä, joka saa oloni kutkuttamaan jo ennen lähtöä. Päästelen sisäisiä riemunkiljahduksia kun lentokoneen pyörät irtoavat kiitoradasta tai kun auto starttaa kohti uutta ja tuntematonta. Tunne on niin voimakas, että se kutittaa mahan pohjassa asti.

Perillä matkakohteessa katselen uteliaana vierasta ympäristöä, tunnustelen sen ääniä, hajuja, makuja. Ihailen itselleni eksoottisia maisemia, trooppisen vehreitä tai karun paljaita. Seurailen paikallisia päivittäisissä puuhissaan toreilla ja kylän raitilla. Mietin, millaista tänne olisi asettua pidemmäksi aikaa.

 Kuvittelen letkeää elämää riippumatossa ja kotoisassa bungalowissa. Söisin joka aamu tuoreita hedelmiä suoraan takapihan hedelmäpuusta ja kävisin vilvoittavalla aamu-uinnilla turkoosissa meressä. Nauraisin hassuille ravuille, jotka kipittävät minua pakoon valkoisella rantahiekalla.

Diginomadina voisin työskennellä mistä päin maailmaa tahansa, kutsua mitä tahansa paikkaa kodiksi. Levoton sieluni janoaa kuitenkin jälleen jännitystä. Se janoaa nähdä uusia kohteita, joissa en ole vielä vieraillut ja löytää ystäviä, joita en ole vielä tavannut.

Rinkka selässä jatkan jälleen matkaa eteenpäin, kohti uusia seikkailuja!


Teksti ja kuva: Sofia Viertola, Matkailun tutkinto-ohjelman ensimmäisen vuoden opiskelija

Julkaistu

My Erasmus exchange in Finland

I chose Finland as my Erasmus exchange study destination because Finland is a country known for its educational system, which is very different from Belgium. I heard so much about it that I thought I would try it by myself and make up my own mind. Moreover, the Finnish population is known to be one of the happiest in the world – so I went to buy some warm clothes and packed my bag!

The Finns

Once I arrived in Finland, I discovered that the cold was not just about the weather: the Finns are very aloof and like to have their own space. But once I got to know them, I realized that it was only a facade and that in the end they are kind, benevolent and you can even have a lot of fun with them.

Life in Finland

Life in Finland is gentle, everything here is very natural. I realized that Finns spend a lot of time outside, even in winter! There are a lot of infrastructures like barbecues, benches and shelters, which are available to everyone. It is common to meet around a fire to drink hot chocolate, grill a sausage, or cook pancakes, even under the snow.

I had the opportunity to go for long walks in the forest or on the beach. Here I also discovered the sauna culture: almost all Finns have a sauna at home and if not, they just have to go to the city pool. And contrary to their usual shyness, in the saunas there is no more shyness, they drop the swimsuits!

Studying at SAMK

A very important part of my Erasmus is the university, after all, that’s why I’m here! The first time I visited the university, I was impressed by the modernity and the possibilities. There are places to relax, to work alone or in groups and even to have fun with a pool table.

The teaching is indeed very different from Belgium. Here, the students call the teachers by their first name, the timetables are light and group work is encouraged. What I find most interesting is that students can really choose their study program according to their interests, they don’t have to take the same courses as everyone else and there are many alternatives such as concrete projects that can be included in the credits. The school also places much importance on well-being, there are a gym and group classes that are open to everyone.

The Erasmus experience

Being on Erasmus means leaving your comfort zone, going to a country you don’t know and living with people you don’t know. But thanks to this challenge, you grow, you discover a new culture and you meet great people of all origins. You learn to be independent, to live in a community and to accept each other with our differences.

Traveling

Being a tourism student and therefore a travel enthusiast, I have taken advantage of being here to visit Finland and also the neighboring countries. We organized trips to Tallinn, Stockholm and Copenhagen. Of course, there were a lot of us so I was able to practice my travel planning skills. I think it’s good to take advantage of these four months to see as much as possible because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.   

Text and photos: Camille De Borman, exchange student from Haute École Galilée University of Applied Sciences in Belgium

Julkaistu

Wellness tourism after the pandemic

During our online course Well-being from Blue Spaces, we got to learn about the concept of blue gym, how coastal and maritime areas can be used in well-being, and the history behind it. We also had an assignment where we got to plan a seafood tour in our home region. What I found the most interesting was the wellness tourism industry and how fast it has been growing for the past years.

Wellness as a general trend has been gaining popularity over the past years. It can be seen in many aspects all around us. From green juice bars in the malls to the many fitness trends that come and go. Shops providing a bigger variety of healthier food options and people making healthier choices, like cutting the usage of alcohol and sugar. This trend has naturally affected the tourism industry as well. Between the years 2015 and 2017 wellness tourism grew 6,5%. That is very significant growth when considered that regular tourism grew only 3,2% in the same time frame. (Global Wellness Institute 2018, 20.)

We live in very uncertain times. With the ongoing pandemic no one really knows the effects it will have on the tourism industry. We can only speculate and make guesses what tourism in the post-pandemic world will look like, how it will affect the trends, and what are the long-term effects that come from it. Industry specialist and researchers have made their predictions and even those have changed as the pandemic has prolonged the bans on traveling. Of course, there are no wrong or right answers really since this is very new territory for all of us. But it is fun to play with the idea and think about the future and how it will look.

Many industry specialists think that there is a very big possibility that the pandemic will make wellness tourism grow at a faster rate than now. Personally, I think that is a very possible outcome. Seeing how people are already interested in their wellbeing and health this pandemic can have the effect that it will get more heightened. The COVID-19 virus has posed a threat to everyone’s health and people may want to take a more proactive and preventative approach after the pandemic is over.

The past year has been hard on everyone. From self-isolation and quarantines, losing loved ones, the additional stress the pandemic has caused to the financial duress. We have seen and felt a lot and it has not been easy on anyone’s mental health. People will probably desire to take a vacation where they can solely focus on their mental well-being. So, I think that it is very possible that various yoga, ashram, meditation, and mindfulness retreats will get very popular.

Tourists may be keener to choose destinations and places where a healthy lifestyle is promoted or easy to keep up. Many people have started to pay more attention to their health during the pandemic. Following a new specific diet or fitness plan, they may want to keep that going even during their travel so places that offer facilities and services that cater to these needs may get an influx of customers.

The Wellness Tourism Association conducted a survey in the summer of 2020 asking about consumers’ travel plans after the pandemic. Over 4000 people answered from 48 countries. They found that 78% of the people had planned to partake in wellness tourism after the pandemic. In the end, as to how much the wellness tourism industry will grow no one knows yet and only time will tell.

Text: Milla Ruonala, third year International Tourism Management student
Photos: Pixabay

References:

Global Wellness Institute. 2018. Global Wellness Tourism Economy. https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GWI_GlobalWellnessTourismEconomyReport.pdf

Wellnesss Tourism Association. 2020. Nearly 4,000 consumers reveal Wellness Vacation Motivations for Post-Pandemic Travel. https://www.wellnesstourismassociation.org/nearly-4000-consumers-reveal-wellness-vacation-motivations-post-pandemic-travel/

Julkaistu

Matkailu on kohtaamisia ja uusia ystäviä

Maailman matkailupäivän kunniaksi ensimmäisen vuoden matkailun opiskelijat muistelivat tarinoita ja kokemuksia matkoiltaan.

Italian aurinko lämmittää erilailla kuin Suomen aurinko. Se on jotenkin miellyttävämpi ja selvästi kuumempikin. Varjossakin paahtaa reilusti yli 30 astetta lämmintä.

Loikoilimme perheeni kanssa asuntoautomme vieressä ja ihmettelimme leirintäalueen menoa. Naapurissa oleva vanhempi saksalaispariskunta lukee aikakausilehtiä ja ottaa rennosti matkailuautonsa lisävarjon alla. Kuumuus on näille veteraanikaravaanareille tuttua. Tien toisella puolella porukka nuoria juhlistaa lauluin ja tanssein – hulluja kun noin paahteessa pystyvät temmeltää, miettii isä. Ruskeat tukat hulmuten nuoret naiset keinuvat rytmikkään musiikin tahtiin, ja miehet naureskelevat juotavat käsissään. Muuten tähän aikaan päivästä on melko hiljaista.

Olen noin 10-vuotias. Minua ei aikakausilehdet, bingot tai makoilu kiinnosta. Mieleni on jo kauan tehnyt mennä rannalle, mutta kukaan ei lähde kanssani. Äkästyn ja kiertelen vaunumme ympärystää tutkiskellen maasta löytyviä keppejä ja käpyjä, ne kun ovat tuttuja ihan koti-Suomestakin. Katson ylös männyn juurelta ja aurinko paistaa kivasti havujen välistä, hetkeksi tulee ikävä kotia.

Mäntyjen takaa silmiini osuu kikkarapäisin, suklaasilmäisin poika, jonka olen ikinä elämässäni nähnyt. Hän on noin minun ikäiseni. Hän on seurannut toimintaani ja pian hän saapuukin luokseni. Hänen ihonsa ja silmänsä ovat paljon tummempi kuin minun ja hänen hiuksensa paljon kiharaisemmat kuin minun. En ollutkaan pitkiin aikoihin nähnyt ketään oman ikäistäni, enkä varsinkaan poikaa.

Poika sanoo minulle jotakin omalla kielellään, mutta en tietenkään ymmärrä. Vastauksenani hänelle pudistan päätäni ja hymyilen vaivalloisesti. Hän lähestyy vieressäni olevaa mäntyä ja tutkii sitä. Hän osoittaa sormellaan kaarnaa ja kutsuu minua katsomaan. Puuta tarkemmin tutkiessani huomaan, että kaarnan juovissa piilee aivan pieniä valkoisia kotiloita. Ei näitä takuulla Suomesta löytynyt. Poika nappaa kotilon sormiensa väliin ja antaa sen minulle. Se on tyhjä, valkoinen, melkein läpikuultava, pikkuruinen kotilon kuori. Kovemmalla tiirailulla männystä löytyykin useampi kotilo ja pian meillä onkin jo kirjava keko tyhjiä kuoria.

Vietimme koko päivän yhdessä, leikimme ja keräilimme mäntyetanoita. Kävimme jopa rannalla keräilemässä simpukoita ja ties mitä pikkuroskia. Illan tullessa menimme omiin vaunuihimme ja luultavasti kerroimme toisistamme vanhemmillemme. Aamulla, kun heräsin, poika oli kuitenkin jo lähtenyt eikä hänen perheensä matkailuautoa näkynyt enää paikallaan. En tiedä, oliko poika yrittänyt sanoa lähtemisestään, mutta en kuitenkaan olisi ymmärtänytkään häntä, vaikka olisin halunnutkin.

Tähän päivään asti muistan aina sen pojan, joka kulki kanssani sen päivän keräten kotiloita.

Teksti ja kuva: Emmi Eteläperä, Matkailun tutkinto-ohjelman ensimmäisen vuoden opiskelija

Julkaistu

Introduction to tourism studies at the OpenSAMK fair

The OpenSAMK fair was held on Pori campus on 9.11.2021. It was an open fair for everyone interested in studying at SAMK, and especially for high school and vocational school students.

The event was a great opportunity to get familiarized with SAMK and the study programs. For the first two hours the visitors had the opportunity to listen to interviews of SAMK students from different study programs, which could probably help them in choosing their future professional interests. After the interviews, visitors went to the lobby to visit stands where SAMK students were presenting their study programs. Every stand had some small activity in which visitors could take part in.

We represented our study programme, International Tourism Management. As we are third year students, for us it was interesting to present our study programme and convince visitors that everything is possible in these studies if they want it!

Surprisingly many high school students said that they want to study at a university, but they are not sure of what to study. In this case, we suggest they should first decide what they want to do for a living in the future and after that decide where to study. When choosing where to study, the most important thing is to understand where you belong and what is your passion to learn.

Our study programme is studied fully in English. For us, it was a bit funny that so many visitors were scared to speak English. Maybe it is a common fault here in Pori, but we think that you should never be afraid of something that you possibly don’t know.

Even if you are making mistakes you will learn from them – and SAMK is a place where you will not be judged. It is important to do your best and to sometimes challenge yourself – even if it means that you need to speak English.

At the OpenSAMK fair you could see students in different study programs, learn different knowledge, get to know different interests and opinions on why you should choose their study programme. All the students made a great effort in presenting their study programme and had prepared entertaining activities for the visitors in order to show that it is interesting to study at SAMK.

Text: Aleksandra Dmitrijeva and Susanna Carenius, third year International Tourism Management students
Photos: Aleksandra Dmitrijeva

Julkaistu

PoResto vei opiskelijat retkeilemään Satakuntaan

Kun puhutaan satakuntalaisesta matkailusta, nousee esille aina yhtä upea Yyterin ranta ja jokavuotinen Pori Jazz -festivaali. Viime vuosina Yyterin rannoista ja ennätyksellisistä kävijämääristä on kirjoitettu valtakunnallisenkin median toimesta. Mutta onko Satakunnassa muita luontomatkailukohteita? No on hyvinkin paljon – Satakunnasta löytyy mm. lukuisia luontopolkuja.

Porin Restonomiopiskelijat PoResto ry päätti lähteä tutkimusmatkalle erilaisiin lähialueen kohteisiin. Vuosikurssimme opiskelijat ovat viime aikoina opiskelleet kestävää matkailua ja se on osasyy, miksi valitsimme retkemme kohteiksi juuri nämä paikat.  Retkillämme pyrimme toimimaan mahdollisimman luontoa kunnioittavasti.

Vierailimme ensin Koivuniemen Herran Farmilla ja sen jälkeen Joutsijärven luontopolulla. Molemmat tapahtumat olivat kaikille avoimia, mutta suunnattu lähinnä matkailualan opiskelijoille.  Reissuillemme osallistui niin PoResto ry:n hallituslaisia ja jäsenistöä sekä myös muutama muun alan opiskelija. Reissuille kuljettiin kimppakyydeillä ja mukaan sopivat niin perheenjäsenet kuin lemmikitkin.

Koivuniemen Herran farmilla

Vierailu Koivuniemen Herran farmille tapahtui sunnuntaina lokakuun alussa. Vierailun alussa saimme kuulla Koivuniemen Herran mielenkiintoisista palveluista ja pääsimme kiertämään erilaisia majoitusrakennuksia sekä muita tiloja.  Koivuniemen Herran Farmi on tunnelmallinen maatilamatkailun ”landeteemapuisto” jossa pääsee osallistumaan maatilan arkeen, nauttimaan hyvästä ruuasta ja vähän erilaisesta lomasta (Koivuniemen Herran Farmin www-sivut 2021). Vinkkinä matkailun opiskelijoille: Koivuniemen Herran Farmilla voi myös suorittaa restonomin harjoittelujakson!

Päivän aikana pääsimme tervehtimään erilaisia eläimiä aina pupuista hevosiin. Saimme myös nauttia itse paistetuista letuista, kokea millaista on ruokkia erilaisia eläimiä, istua traktorin kyydissä ja ratsastaa hevosella. Minun henkilökohtainen lempijuttuni oli kanojen ruokkiminen ja sainpas sellaisen myös syliini! Päivä oli opettavainen, sillä kuulimme mm. majoituspalveluista, ja samalla hauska, kun pääsimme silittelemään erilaisia eläimiä niiden aitauksissa ja tutustumaan toisiin opiskelijoihin samalla.

Kuvissa kana ja minä, osa PoReston hallituksesta 2021 ja hevosratsastusta.

Joutsijärven luontopolku

Seuraavana päivänä lähdimme valloittamaan Ulvilan Joutsijärveltä löytyvää luontopolkua. Luontopolku sijaitsee aivan Tammen tilan vieressä. Luontopolku on pituudeltaan noin 5 kilometriä ja sen varrelta löytyy erilaisia opasteita, joissa kerrotaan alueen historiasta. Päivä oli sateinen ja pitkospuut liukkaita, mutta reilun kahdenkymmenen opiskelijan voimin näytimme millaista on suomalainen sisu ja kuljimme koko luontopolun vesisateesta huolimatta. Paikalla oli myös useampi vaihto-opiskelija ja heiltäkin löytyi lähes loputtomasti huumorintajua sateiselle reissullemme.

 ”This is the Finnish sisu: walking in the rain, in the dark!”

Retken kohokohta oli, kun pysähdyimme kodalle nuotion äären grillailemaan makkaraa ja vaahtokarkkeja.  Kodalta löytyi suojaa ja kuivia polttopuita sekä ihanaa puheen sorinaa. Yhdessä vielä keräsimme roskat mukaan ja sammutimme nuotion ja suuntasimme takaisin lähtöpisteeseen yhteislauluja hyräillen. Yhdessä vietetty aika jäi mieleen ja haluammekin lähteä samanlaisille reissuille vielä tulevaisuudessakin (toivottavasti hieman paremmalla säällä).

Näillä esimerkeillä haluankin todeta, että Satakunnasta löytyy paljon nähtävää ja koettavaa vuodenajasta riippumatta. Luontoon lähteminen todellakin auttaa nollaamaan stressitasoja ja virkistää kummasti näin syysiltaisin.


Teksti ja kuvat: Jonna Hautamäki, Matkailun tutkinto-ohjelman toisen vuoden opiskelija ja Porin Restonomiopiskelijat PoResto ry:n puheenjohtaja 2021