Suomussalmi Heading Towards a Super Summer for Tourism – Kainuu Orienteering Week and Kainuu Trail Bring Over 5,000 Customers and a Million-Class Regional Economic Impact
Published: 03.12.2025
Suomussalmi Heading Towards a Super Summer for Tourism – Kainuu Orienteering Week and Kainuu Trail Bring Over 5,000 Customers and a Million-Class Regional Economic Impact
The Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW) and the Kainuu Trail trail run, to be held next summer in Suomussalmi, anticipate one of Finland's largest sports tourism events. The event complex is estimated to bring over 5,000 customers counted as unique individuals to the locality.
KOW and Kainuu Trail Registrations Underway
The first registration tier for KOW closed at the end of November, 30.11. A total of 793 orienteers are currently registered (554 in competitive series, 146 in open/recreational orienteering, and 93 in the Kainuu MTBO Week).
"The situation looks promising at this stage. We have slightly more registered participants now than at the corresponding stage of the previous Suomussalmi Orienteering Week (2021)," says Competition Director Jari Anttonen.
The Kainuu Trail trail run, which kicks off the event week, is again setting a record pace. When its first price tier closed at the end of October, there were already 225 unique registered runners, which is about 100 more than at the same time in the previous year's event.
"Kainuu Trail has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2022, we had 317 participants, and last summer we set a participation record for the fourth consecutive year with 648 runners. Next summer, the maximum number of 700 runners is expected to participate in the event," states Kainuu Trail Competition Director Jukka Liuha. "In cooperation with Metsähallitus, we have limited the number of participants in next summer's trail run to 700 to protect the unique nature of Hossa National Park," Liuha elaborates.
Over 5,000-Person Event Week – Among Finland's Sports Tourism Elite
Kainuu Orienteering Week will be one of Finland's largest sports tourism events next year as well. For example, in 2024, the Kainuu Orienteering Week was the sixth largest of the annually organised running, trail running, cross-country skiing, and orienteering events:
Sports Tourism Events 2024 (Disciplines: running, trail running, cross-country skiing, and orienteering)
- Helsinki City Running Day (HCRD): 17,500 runners
- Jukola Relay (Kauhava): 17,092 orienteers
- Naisten Kymppi (Helsinki): 7,000 runners
- Espoo Rantamaraton (Espoo): 5,244 runners
- Helsinki Marathon (Helsinki): 4,770 runners
- *WMOC 2024 (Turku): 4,200 orienteers
- Kainuu Orienteering Week (Kajaani): 3,962 orienteers
- Finlandia-hiihto (Lahti): 3,222 skiers
- Finlandia Marathon (Jyväskylä): 3,162 runners
- NUTS Karhunkierros (Ruka): 3,117 trail runners
Notes on the list: The WMOC 2024 event is not held annually but is a one-off event. Participation figures are based on the final results reported by the event organisers (only registered unique participants).
"Based on the current registration numbers, we estimate that, including the Kainuu Trail, over 5,000 unique individuals will arrive as event customers for the whole family's orienteering and holiday week next summer," anticipates Liuha, who also serves as the Secretary General of Kainuu Orienteering Week. "There are not many events in Finland that annually attract over 5,000 unique individuals, so in that sense, we truly belong to the top tier of Finnish sports tourism."
Estimate of Next Summer’s Participants (Registered Participants):
- Kainuu Orienteering Week Competitive Series: 1,500–1,600
- Kainuu Orienteering Week Open courses (Recreational orienteering): 1,100–1,200
- Kainuu MTBO Week: 250
- Kainuu Trail Trail Run: 700
- Total Registered Participants: 3,550–3,750
- In addition, approximately 1,500 unique spectators and support crew members are expected
Long Visitor Stay Increases Regional Economic Impact
KOW is economically highly significant for the Kainuu region, as the event, including its side events, lasts practically a week and brings 2–3 million euros to the area annually.
"The long duration of the event is key to its surprisingly large regional economic impact," speculates Secretary General Liuha. "For example, the world's largest orienteering event, the Jukola Relay, is attended by ten times the number of people (40,000–50,000), but its regional economic impact (7.5–10 million euros) is only 2–3 times greater than Kainuu Orienteering Week's, because the event duration is clearly shorter – only one weekend."
Private Cottage and Apartment Accommodation Needed for Event Customers
In organising Kainuu Orienteering Week, the aim is to ensure that the economic benefit generated by the event remains as fully as possible in the host municipality. A highly significant supplementary service for this purpose is the cottage and apartment accommodation offered by private individuals, which KOW mediates to event customers.
"Every year, we mediate private properties worth tens of thousands of euros. Without this service, it would be difficult for our event customers to find sufficient accommodation close to our competition centre," says Competition and Accommodation Office Secretary Minna Rönkkö. "We hope that private individuals in Suomussalmi will also become active well in advance, already during the winter, in putting up their summer cottage, detached house, or even an apartment for rent to our customers, allowing the economic benefit to remain maximally in the Suomussalmi area."
Accommodation for the Kainuu Orienteering Week is needed for the entire orienteering week, from Saturday to Saturday, 27.6.–4.7.2026. Accommodation properties can be easily registered via the service on the website or by contacting the accommodation office at majoitus@rastiviikko.fi (044-5123517).
The 58th Kainuu Orienteering Week will be held in Säynäjä, Suomussalmi, from June 28 to July 3, 2026, and the 6th annual Kainuu Trail trail run will take place in Hossa National Park, Suomussalmi, on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
More information:
Competition Director Jari Anttonen, +358 44 761 3886, kilpailunjohtaja@rastiviikko.fi
Secretary General Jukka Liuha, +358 44 7679 533, jukka.liuha@rastiviikko.fi
Kainuu O Week Office Minna Rönkkö, +358 44 512 3517, info@rastiviikko.fi
Website: www.rastiviikko.fi
