Piritta Liikka
Innovator
My Trail
Finland
Social
Rural Areas
Rural area close to city
The innovation journey
Piritta Liikka is the owner of My Trail (Mun Polku), a small tourism business that offers private, tailored nature experiences in the form of guided tours and well-being in nature. My Trail operates in the Ruka-Kuusamo region, and in Oulanka, Riisitunturi, Salla, and Hossa National Parks. Originally from southern Finland, Piritta moved to Kuusamo to be closer to its beautiful nature. She has been an avid hiker since childhood. While working an office job, Piritta got drawn into acting as an unofficial tour guide for company guests. She soon realized she had a natural gift for it and decided to turn her beloved hobby into a living. After gaining experience as an assistant guide for a couple of tourism companies, she was ready to establish her own business in 2016. Instead of offering the usual tour guide services, Piritta wanted to combine her passions for nature and yoga in her business, and to share the wellbeing provided by nature she has personally experienced. In addition to more traditional nature tours, My Trail offers various types of forest therapy: forest and reindeer yoga, tree breathing, meditation and mindfulness techniques in nature.
At the core of all activities are Finnish nature relations and finding a deeper connection with nature with the help of various ecotherapy methods. During tours, guests are also provided information regarding local culture, nature, and history, as well as on sustainability. In addition, Piritta offers recovery coaching and training for tour guides.
The innovation impact
Piritta is driven by a wish to offer people such profound experiences in nature that it will change their worldviews and habits into more sustainable direction, thus helping nature in turn. She is a local forerunner in sustainable tourism, with her business holding a Sustainable Travel Finland certificate, Green Activities certificate and a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. Piritta collaborates extensively with a group of all-female tour guide entrepreneurs, as well as with many other local companies, and provides seasonal employment. Through her training of other tour guides in nature wellbeing, she is spreading new influences on tourism in her area.