Hawkhill Oy: Third-generation family business attracts international travelers with its sustainability actions
Since 1963, Hawkhill has been offering sustainable accommodation and conference services in Nuuksio, Vihti. The family business, which has 52 overnight guest spaces, has built its entire business around sustainability themes and made sustainable Finnish tourism known in cooperation with Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland program.
The free Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) program provides companies with a sustainable tourism development toolkit that makes it easier for them to adopt sustainable measures and choices in their daily business. With the program, a company can complete a sustainable tourism development path, in which it documents its sustainability actions on Visit Finland’s online platform. A company that has successfully completed all stages of the program will qualify for using the STF label, which is a sign of sustainable activities to international tourists and the tourism industry.
Hawkhill was one of the first companies to complete the program since its launch in 2020.
“The program has helped us take sustainability into account broadly and comprehensively. The toolkit includes training courses and an e-guide on sustainable tourism, which focuses not only on climate aspects but also on social responsibility, inclusiveness and accessibility, for example,” says Hawkhill entrepreneur Annu Huotari.
According to Annu Huotari, communicating about corporate sustainability actions is more credible when the impacts are measurable and verified by an official body.
Ambitious responsibility goals
According to Huotari, the Covid-19 pandemic made every Finn to pay attention to the sustainability themes. The company also has a large customer base in Central Europe, where sustainability has traditionally guided the choices of tourism customers.
“Communicating about corporate sustainability actions is more credible when the impacts are measurable and verified by an official body. More and more customers choose a sustainable company that has been awarded the STF label. We highlight a wide range of sustainability themes on our website,” Huotari says.
Hawkhill already chose sustainability as one of its most important values in 2019, after which it has actively developed its operations towards lower emissions, for example. Hawkhill’s ambitious goal is to make its business carbon-negative through its own efforts, and with time offset all of the company’s emissions since its foundation in 1963.
Visit Finland an important partner
The company has worked closely with Visit Finland.
-“We received a lot of good practical tips, and Visit Finland has also taken into account our development proposals. We are also happy to cooperate actively in the future and want to be involved in developing Finland into the world’s most sustainable tourist destination through our own example,” Huotari says.
Sustainability increases sales
According to Hanna Muoniovaara, Manager, tourists are paying more and more attention to the sustainability of tourist destinations, and Finnish companies can benefit from this by highlighting sustainability themes more strongly in their own operations and communications.
“Sustainability actions and communications are reflected as increased sales in companies. With the STF label, Visit Finland helps companies develop their business in a more sustainable direction. Among others, we organize various events on the sustainability theme,” Muoniovaara says.
Companies that have qualified for the STF label are also listed on Visit Finland’s website, and Visit Finland organizes sales events specifically for those who have been awarded the STF label.
“Finnish companies in the tourism sector are among the top in the world in terms of sustainability themes. Visit Finland actively promotes this know-how at various events around the world, for example,” Muoniovaara says.