Next summer's Kainuu Orienteering Week is expecting a record number of participants, bringing over two million Euros in tourism revenue to the Kajaani area

Published: 01.12.2023

Next summer's Kainuu Orienteering Week is expecting a record number of participants, bringing over two million Euros in tourism revenue to the Kajaani area

Last time the Kainuu Orienteering Week was held in Joutenlampi 2012 (Photo: Risto Haverinen)

From June 30 to July 5, 2024, Kainuu Orienteering Week will welcome over 6,500 participants to orienteer and vacation in Kajaani's Joutenlampi.
- Our first registration period ended on November 30, 2023, and we can announce that next year's event will be one of the largest in the history of Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW), exclaims the competition director Jarmo Kämäräinen. Among the registered participants, 978 orienteers signed up for competition categories, marking the highest number since the KOW held in conjunction with the Vuokatti World Orienteering Championships in 2013, Kämäräinen continues.

Additionally, a record number of 177 individuals have registered for the open courses (recreational categories) of the orienteering week, and the Kainuu MTBO Week has attracted a record number of 93 participants. In total, 1,248 orienteers have registered for Kainuu Orienteering Week at this stage. These figures represent the highest numbers in over a decade and anticipate one of the largest Kainuu Orienteering Weeks ever held in Kajaani next summer, Kämäräinen predicts.
- For comparison, based on yesterday's registration numbers, we are on track to surpass the final count of 4,408 orienteers in Kajaani (2012), Kämäräinen calculates.

Kainuu Orienteering Week's Largest Participant Counts

*Includes participants in competition categories and open courses

Tourism Revenue of Over Two Million Euros for the Kajaani Area

Kainuu Orienteering Week's participants have been found to spend an average of approximately 350 euros per person in the area, based on research conducted in 2016 and 2017. Therefore, the upcoming summer's orienteering extravaganza with 6,500 participants is expected to bring over two million euros to Kajaani and its surrounding areas, explains the event's secretary-general Jukka Liuha.
- For instance, after the 2019 Orienteering Week in Sotkamo (with 4,379 participants), the municipal finance director estimated that the event generated over 2 million euros in tourism revenue for the area. So, from this perspective, next summer looks very promising as well, Liuha elaborates. Through the additional events held in the vicinity of Kajaani city center (sprint orienteering, award ceremonies, and Kainuu MTBO Week), we are sure to generate a significant boost in the area and encourage participants to utilize Kajaani's services as much as possible, Liuha concludes.

Kainuu O Week's stage winners prize-giving ceremony at Kajaani City Centre in 2012.

Accommodation Needed in Kajaani and Surrounding Areas

The Kainuu Orienteering Week’s accommodation office is currently seeking apartments, detached houses, summer cottages and holiday apartments, and other lodging options for rent to orienteers and their families. The aim is to offer diverse accommodation options to all event visitors. Properties located 20-50 kilometers from the competition centre (Joutenlammentie 294, Kajaani) are particularly sought after, but accommodations farther away are also being considered. Accommodation is needed for the entire orienteering week.

For more information:
Chief of Competition Jarmo Kämäräinen +358 40 7268 983, jarmo.kamarainen@gmail.com
Secretary General Jukka Liuha +358 44 7679 533, jukka.liuha@rastiviikko.fi
KRW Office, phone: +358 44 512 3517, info@rastiviikko.fi
Website: www.rastiviikko.fi