| Summary: | The year 2017 has an important meaning for Finland and the City of Lahti. The Lahti community will host the World Ski Championships, one of the more significant celebrations for the Finnish independence anniversary. The City of Lahti is preparing to accommodate thousands of international sportspersons, media and spectators. The organization committee is ready to provide the best services for them so they can enjoy the Centenary Championships. This study was initiated to support the sales committee in achieving the target of 250,000 independent spectators in the World Championships 2017. The research project is focused on the target market selected by the analysis of opportunities for introducing the World Championships. The region of Northwest Russia is seen as an attractive market and as a possible tourism business partner for Finland. For this reason, the study is concentrated on establishing long-term relationships between the two neighbouring countries. In the thesis the qualitative and quantitative methods were applied. The information was gathered through various sources. Secondary data was collected from books, articles and trusted web sites. An online survey and interviews helped to produce primary data for the study. The respondents were chosen from the target groups of the organizing committee, spectators of the Pre-World Championships, Lahti Ski Games 2016. Based on the conclusions of the survey and interviews as well as on the literature review, the thesis produced a development plan. The recommendations and suggestions that are presented in the plan were generated after the market environment analysis, SWOT analysis, and by applying the principles of integrated communication and targeting. The study results show that the target market can be seen as an attractive possibility to extend the flow of international visitors to the championships. The study presents the overview of the opportunities and points out the barriers for the relationships. By starting a new communication channel, developing ...
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