Swedish Lapland Visitors Board participates in Platform North conference

Last week, representatives from northern Sweden, Norway and Finland gathered for the first Platform North conference. Swedish Lapland Visitors Board was there to participate in the collaboration that focuses on the future of transport infrastructure in northernmost Europe.

Platform North is an initiative launched by the Swedish Transport Administration with the aim of strengthening collaboration between the Nordic countries in light of the industrial investments, the green transition and the increased focus on military mobility that are taking place in the northern parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Roberto Maiorana, Director General of the Swedish Transport Administration and Helena Eriksson, Regional Director of the Swedish Transport Administration, as initiators of the new collaboration platform for “the Northern Nordics”, welcomed all participants from the three countries to participate and contribute to the continued handling of the neighboring regions’ common challenges and opportunities.

Annika Fredriksson, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board, emphasizes the importance of the tourism industry also participating in this type of collaboration:

“Our participation in Platform North will benefit the opportunities for the tourism industry. In the regional business survey conducted by WSP, tourism companies have identified “travel to and within the region” for six years in a row as the biggest business obstacle to realizing their potential. Sustainable, efficient, and stable transport solutions that can support tourism businesses and the visitors who travel here are a fundamental prerequisite.”

The ministers from Norway and Sweden and the Finnish Director General expressed a common ambition to better coordinate national transport plans.

“We and our closest neighbors must join forces at national and regional level and prioritize to be able to take part in EU funds as co-financing in our neglected travel infrastructure for both freight and passenger traffic”, says Oskar Hederyd, Swedish Lapland Visitors Board.

“A cross-border perspective is crucial for us here in the northernmost regions and we remain committed to making the voice of the tourism industry heard to highlight both its needs.”

A thriving tourism industry contributes great value to the economies, attractiveness, welfare and development capacity of our local communities.

“I think that in our cross-border cooperation on, among other things, the development of both international and domestic travel infrastructure together with the regional tourism organizations Northern Norway Tourist Board and Finnish Lapland Tourist Board, we have been one step ahead through our almost 10-year collaboration”, concludes Annika Fredriksson.

The conference in Luleå on February 12-13 brought together big names in infrastructure, including Sweden’s Minister of Infrastructure Andreas Carlson, Norway’s Minister of Transport and the Director General of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

Platform North operates as a network and a collaboration platform, not as a separate legal organization.

Read more about Platform North at the Swedish Transport Administration.

Here you can read more about our cross-border cooperation in areas such as travel infrastructure.