BackgroundTravel has been one of the biggest victims of COVID-19 effects and the industry’s recovery will be challenging. The tourist income in the Oulu region is 450 million. EUR and employment effect 4,500 htp. Overnight stays registered in the Oulu region decreased in 2020 by 35.1 %. The funds of companies are now empty and the response to the re-launching tourism demand can only be achieved through regional sectoral cooperation and action geared to the needs of SMEs. As travel opens, competition for COVID-19 restrictions will be very intense in all markets, and there must be support for tourism in the Oulu region.This project has been prepared to respond to the rapid recovery and development of operational and competitiveness in the Oulu region.The main challenges for tourism companies in the Oulu region and the main objectives of the project are:1. Reach the changing and resumption of tourism demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.2. Target its own activities and its development as accurately and rapidly as possible in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.The project’s work packages support the recovery and competitiveness of tourism, restaurant and event industries in the Oulu region affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: • The implementation of tourism content and marketing that meet the recovery in demand. The market transformation caused by COVID-19 has changed operating models and calls for the reform of previous commercially profitable production and the modernisation of marketing and sales promotion models to meet tourism visibility and distribution requirements. • The rising demand (near tourism, sustainable tourism) offers growth potential for tourism companies in the Oulu region. The development of tourism content and new marketing measures corresponding to the change in consumption behaviour will enable tourism companies to access new customer, market and distribution road structures.The transient goal is to help tourism companies’ business with knowledge management: with the help of up-to-date and forward-looking information, tourism companies will recover from the crisis more quickly.The measures consist of joint work packages implemented by tourism companies, project promoters and stakeholders in the Oulu region to achieve the objectives: a) to reach demand and b) to provide services.Business Oulu: Co-ordination, Programme to accelerate SME recovery Actions: Business workshops responsible for emerging trends, productisation of recovery demand, operating model and measures for management with knowledge to promote recovery, main project coordination and communicationOulun Matkailu Oy/Visit Oulu: Common market and regional co-development. Measures: Tourism in the Oulu region to be visible and purchased in the reviving tourism market, the visibility and demand for tourism companies in the Oulu region from the rising tourism trends Kalajoki Tourism Association: Development of local tourism in a regional context, regional implementationsMeasures: Response to the growth of neighbouring markets, Kalajoki’s responsible and digitally purchased tourism productionHumanpolis: Sustainable development, regional implementation Measures: Sustainable tourism, Digitalisation, development of the common market operating model, Information management, Product development, Investments