This Kuusamo Lapland magazine presents the tourism region influenced by the Kuusamo airport and Russian Karelia across the border, the region’s diversified business life, culture, and especially beautiful nature. As chairman of the Barents Regional Council I am pleased that our region has developed and become more international in recent years, and that cross-border cooperation has increased. Twenty-five years of cooperation on both sides of the border between Finland and Russia have dissipated post-WWII tensions in the border region, and we are now cooperating smoothly. A €9.3 million expansion of the Kuusamo airport in 2009 will enable busier international and domestic air traffic and improve our accessibility.

Kuusamo Lapland’s "Call of Four Seasons" tourism internationalization project and Kuusamo Region / Naturpolis Oy have published this magazine with the Council of Oulu Region’s EU funding. The magazine has been jointly compiled by the municipalities of Kuusamo, Taivalkoski, Pudasjärvi, Posio, Kemijärvi, and Salla along with the region’s largest companies.

Come and visit the region and discover our beautiful nature.


Pauli Saapunki
Provincial Counselor