Finland and the other Nordic countries represent an interesting case in the context of sustainable tourism. In the South-West of Finland, the Baltic Sea coast spreads to an archipelago of thousands of islands between Turku and Stockholm. Many of these island communities differ from the Finnish mainland with the Swedish language, culture and traditions. Up north in Lapland, we find the Sámi, the only indigenous people of the European Union, spreading across an area between Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. These unique, vulnerable ecosystems and culturally diverse landscapes in the archipelago and Lapland make two of the four main geographical areas for tourism in Finland. The need for the upskilling and reskilling workforce in tourism for sustainable development is evident, but what modalities of learning can enable their participation in adult education?

Increasing the level of participation of adults in education is high on the agenda of many international organizations and national governments. However, in many countries, those who participate in adult education are individuals with already high levels of education. They are often young workers and come from socio-economically advantaged households. Hence, the challenge remains on how to increase participation in the education of those social groups who would gain the most social returns from upskilling and reskilling. (OECD, 2021).