The tourism industry is of great importance to the economy and to the vitality and attractiveness of the South Karelia region. According to a study by Tak Oy (2020), South Karelia is another region in Finland in addition to Lapland, where the consumption of international tourists is more than EUR 1500 per region’s population per year. The world-wide pandemic has stopped tourism for more than a year, in the South Karelia region it is strongly seen as a rooftop for Russian tourists from the street and by stopping international air connections. Additional target groups must be found for the cyclically sensitive Russian market and the tourism industry as a whole requires year-round services as well as diversification of service provision. South Karelia’s survival plan emphasises the promotion of sustainable tourism and the use of digital tools for the development of sustainable and safe tourism products. Digital solutions, modern technologies and new innovations also bring many opportunities for the tourism sector. The project responds to the opportunities offered by the digitalisation of the resilience plan as follows: •strengthening tourism cooperation in the Saimaa region •Innovative solutions to improve the digital capacity of companies •focus on promoting the area’s digital accessibility and accessibility and promoting sales in the region, in cooperation with regional businesses and tourism operators. Promoting cooperation between South Karelia and Etelä-Savo, establishing the Lake Saimaa Association, preparing a joint tourism strategy for the Saimaa region, the Saimaa phenomenon 2026 and designing a common lakesaimaa.fi digital platform are concrete steps towards the coordination of tourism actors and development measures in the Saimaa region, as well as the efficient use of resources. According to Bloom Consulting’s Tourist Behaviour Behaviour Survey (2021), Finland is sought by the main themes according to the Uniique Selling Point (Unique Selling Point), which include lakes, cities, saunas and forests. In this study, lakes (lakes) stand out by 23 % growth compared to last year’s results. Due to changes in the operating environment, the strengths of responsibility, sustainable development of tourism and digitalisation create particularly strong opportunities for the Saimaa region to stand out in its favour. The measures of the project contribute to:-Diversified development of the tourism ecosystem of the Saimaa region and the creation of operating models -achieving the main objective of the tourism strategy for the Saimaa region, placing the Saimaa region among the three most well-known tourist regions in Finland. After the pandemic, health-safe nature and sport tourism services as well as companies that follow the principles of sustainable development will enjoy strong popularity. According to research by Visit Finland, local markets and German-speaking Europe are the first to recover. Direct flights to Lappeenranta provide a strong basis for the expansion of the tourism market to the Central European market as well as to the market at the end of good connecting flights. The project will contribute to improving the visibility of the region in terms of both logistical and digital accessibility, including: 1.The development of Saimaa’s promotion model by screening best practices from Finland and abroad (e.g. market-specific representation, OTA (Online Travel Agency), digital sales solutions and platforms, strengthening regional business-led DMC (Destination Marketing Company) in cooperation). 2.Developing business capabilities and digital capabilities to meet the demands of a rapidly digitalising world. 3.The implementation of the principles of sustainable tourism in the Saimaa region for businesses and municipalities. Teleworking opportunities, placelessness from the point of view of working, create strong conditions for Saimaa tourism to be a successful tourist and teleworking destination among foreign and domestic tourists. Digital accessibility is taking on a new role in today’s remote life. The region’s DMO (Destination Marketing Organisation), goSaimaa Oy, helps to meet tourism products and their users by means of tourism marketing. As a result of the project, a clear set of indicators will be produced to support the development of the region in accordance with the principles of sustainable tourism. The project will implement the measures and the best lessons from the Sustainable Travel Finland programme directly to municipalities and companies, which will help to create a responsible South Karelia operating model in the region, in which municipalities and companies are involved in the development.