African swine fever drives away visitors and cancels events

Several events have been cancelled in southeastern Finland because of African swine fever, while tourism businesses report that visitors are staying away, Yle reports. Businesses have also criticised the Finnish Food Authority’s communication about the restrictions.

African swine fever was detected in Virolahti in late July. To prevent the disease from spreading, the Finnish Food Authority established a restriction zone covering parts of Virolahti, Miehikkälä and Ylämaa in southern Lappeenranta.

A music event was cancelled in Ylämaa, and an orienteering event could not be held in Lappeenranta. Birdwatchers also had to move their plans to observe the autumn migration from Virolahti to Hamina, according to the Kymenlaakso Ornithological Society.

Entrepreneurs in Virolahti, Miehikkälä and Kymenlaakso said earlier this week that tourism, accommodation and restaurant services can still be used safely in the region.

At the Bunker Museum in Virolahti, the operators had already celebrated a successful summer after travellers discovered the renovated museum. The first African swine fever cases in Finland were then found in the municipality at the end of July.

The Bunker Museum and the Salpalinja Museum are cultural attractions that present military history and the defence of Finland’s eastern border. Visitors can walk along old defensive lines and in dugouts in the surrounding terrain.

However, it is currently unclear where museum visitors are allowed to move, says Jani Hellberg, one of the entrepreneurs running the Bunker Museum. More than half of the museum grounds are forest, and the instructions do not specify what is meant by forest, he says.

Under the Finnish Food Authority’s restrictions, public events are prohibited in the terrain within the restriction zone. Movement in forests is completely prohibited in the core zone.

Hellberg says the authority’s communication has been unclear for businesses.

“The Finnish Food Authority does not provide information even when you ask. You cannot make sense of the restrictions,” he says.

Tourism growth under threat

At the Salpalinja Museum in Miehikkälä, staff have considered how public perceptions could affect visitor numbers. Tourism on the eastern border has grown in recent years, and customers have asked whether it is safe to visit the museum because of African swine fever, says museum specialist Armi Oinonen.

Oinonen says the museum has tried to communicate that people can move freely around the museum grounds. Dogs are an exception: they are not allowed on the museum’s terrain paths, in its trenches or in forested areas.

Hannu Heinonen, a board member of the entrepreneurs’ association in Ylämaa and South Karelia, believes media coverage is affecting tourism.

“Overnight stays have decreased even in Imatra, which is not part of the restriction zone,” he says.

Sports event changes routes

The Salpa Stages running and cycling event, whose route extends into the Salpalinja Museum grounds, is scheduled to take place in September, Oinonen says.

The organisers applied to the Finnish Food Authority for an exemption, but the event cannot be held on the terrain according to the original plan. The routes have been moved to gravel roads, according to the event’s website.

The Finnish Food Authority says it has received many applications for exemptions. Because holding events in the terrain is prohibited, exemptions are generally not granted.

The African swine fever virus can survive in the terrain for a long time and withstand conditions such as freezing temperatures. The restrictions will remain in place for at least several months.