Arctic Europe Tourism Cluster (AETC) – Reimagining Cross-Border Tourism Discovery with Destination Direct Search

The Arctic Europe Tourism Cluster (AETC) represents a unique cross-border tourism region spanning Northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway, bringing together over 100 tourism providers with a shared ambition to strengthen international visibility and support sustainable, year-round travel. 

While the region offers a diverse range of high-quality experiences, the digital landscape has traditionally been fragmented across destinations, platforms, and providers, making it difficult for visitors to discover relevant services in a simple and intuitive way. 

To address this, AETC partnered with Tietotalo to develop Destination Direct Search, a visitor-centric search and discovery solution designed to unify the Arctic Europe experience. 

By focusing on visitor intent rather than destinations, and by enabling direct connections to tourism providers, Destination Direct Search creates a shared digital discovery layer that improves accessibility, strengthens local businesses, and positions Arctic Europe as one coherent destination. 

The Arctic Europe Tourism Cluster (AETC), through its “This is Arctic” initiative, represents a cross-border tourism region spanning Northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway. 

This created several challenges: 

• Tourism services and experiences were distributed across many different websites, destinations, and providers 

• Visitors needed to understand regional structures to find relevant information 

• Discoverability of smaller or less-known providers was limited 

• Booking and availability information was fragmented across multiple systems 

• Heavy reliance on third-party platforms (OTAs) reduced margins and ownership of customer relationships 

There was a need to present Arctic Europe as a unified, visitor-friendly destination 

Tietotalo developed Destination Direct Search, also referred to as Superhaku in Finland, a visitor-centric search and discovery solution. 

Destination Direct Search allows visitors to explore Arctic Europe based on their needs and interests, rather than destinations or administrative structures. 

The solution acts as a shared discovery layer across the region, helping users find relevant experiences regardless of country, provider, or platform. 

A key principle of Destination Direct Search is its direct-to-supplier approach, connecting visitors directly to tourism providers through integrations with booking systems, APIs, and property management systems (PMS), where possible. 

Similar solutions has already been build by Tietotalo for the destinations Ylläs, Vuokatti and Ruka-Kuusamo

https://thisisarctic.com/destination-direct-search/

Visitor intent-based search 

The solution is built around what the visitor is looking for, such as activities, themes, or travel periods, instead of predefined destination categories. 

Cross-border discovery 

Destination Direct Search treats Arctic Europe as one coherent region, enabling users to explore experiences across Finland, Sweden, and Norway without barriers. 

Provider-neutral visibility 

Experiences are surfaced based on relevance, giving equal opportunity for both large and small providers to be discovered. 

Direct-to-supplier model 

The platform bypasses traditional OTA intermediaries by connecting directly to supplier systems, ensuring revenue and customer relationships remain with the providers. 

Hybrid integration model 

The solution combines live API integrations with a structured product card module, allowing all partners to be included regardless of technical setup. 

Scalable architecture 

Destination Direct Search is designed as a foundation that can evolve towards full system integrations, real-time data, and more advanced capabilities over time. 

A key requirement for AETC was ensuring that tourism providers retain control over their business and data. 

The solution was designed with: 

• Direct connections to supplier systems where possible 

• No dependency on OTA platforms that take commission or control customer relationships 

• Retention of customer data within the provider ecosystem 

• Support for direct sales channels instead of intermediary-driven distribution 

This approach strengthens the independence and sustainability of local tourism businesses. 

Rather than building a fully integrated system from the start, Tietotalo implemented a pragmatic MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach. 

With over 100 partners involved, each using different booking systems, a fully integrated solution would have required more than 60 custom API connections. 

To balance ambition with feasibility, a hybrid model was introduced: 

• A limited number of API integrations to demonstrate live data capabilities 

• A manual product card module to include all partners 

• A unified front-end experience ensuring consistency for users 

The following API integrations were implemented: 

• GoToHub
• Profitroom
• Billberry
• Visit Group
• Bokun 

This approach made it possible to demonstrate the full Destination Direct Search concept while staying within budget and timeline constraints. 

Destination Direct Search significantly improves how visitors explore Arctic Europe as a destination. 

Improved User Experience 

Visitors can discover relevant experiences faster and more intuitively, without needing to understand destinations or navigate multiple platforms. 

Stronger Provider Visibility 

Tourism providers gain exposure within a shared regional platform, including those without advanced digital systems. 

Direct Commercial Impact 

The direct-to-supplier model supports higher margins, better control over bookings, and stronger customer relationships. 

Scalable Digital Foundation 

The solution is built to evolve, allowing future integrations, automation, and real-time capabilities to be added over time. 

Why It Matters 

This project demonstrates a shift in how tourism ecosystems can operate digitally: 

• From fragmented platforms to a unified discovery layer 

• From destination-led navigation to visitor-driven exploration 

• From OTA dependency to direct supplier relationships 

• From isolated providers to a connected regional ecosystem 

Destination Direct Search shows how digital solutions can improve both visitor experience and the long-term sustainability of the tourism industry. 

What’s Next 

The solution provides a strong foundation for future enhancements, including: 

• Expansion of API integrations across more providers 

• Real-time availability and pricing across the ecosystem 

• AI-powered recommendations and personalization 

• Integration with itinerary planning and booking flows 

• Advanced analytics and insights into visitor behaviour 

Final Thought 

By combining a visitor-centric approach, a hybrid technical architecture, and a strong focus on direct supplier connections, AETC now has a scalable foundation for making Arctic Europe easier to explore while keeping value, data, and control within the region.