Company
The ultimate goal of ToolBox Consulting Ltd., with more than 30 years of experience in the tourism industry, is to operate on an international level. The company was formerly called ToolBox Travel marketing & consulting but changed its name in September 1st, 2019. The staff at ToolBox and subcontracted partner companies aim to provide the tourism industry with alternatives for tourism product development, regional strategic planning and internationalization efforts.
Image and branding processes are today’s hot topics. So is sustainable tourism. The challenging part is integrating these practices into the company’s daily operations. We are interested in what can be referred to as a Slow Travel theme. We wish to implement an improved understanding of time in connection with experiences visitors are looking for.
We invest strongly in networking and benefiting from collaboration. Our network of tourism expertise spans across many countries and continents. In ToolBox Consulting we recognize the need for active participation in international organizations and active involvement with different tourism research groups and trend documentation providers. They provide a broader perspective for many challenging issues facing the tourism industry of today.
We wish to provide a springboard for tourism students or those who have been working for a long time in tourism business and are looking for new careers in the tourism sector. We offer project work, counselling, survey projects and creation of marketing events and campaigns. We value tourism education and hope that everyone who has completed this education will find a career in the tourism industry.
History
ToolBox Consulting Ltd. was established in year 2000 and was formerly called ToolBox-travel marketing & consulting. The company initially organized tourism training programmes and tourism seminars. The programmes mainly concentrated on tourism strategies, improvement of entrepreneurship and developing local events including customer service.
Later on guiding services in the Eastern Uusimaa Region took on a larger role – especially in the city of Porvoo. These guiding services were offered during the years 2001–2003. ToolBox has been involved in several Entrepreneurship Training Courses. The “Palvelua Sydämellä” (Service with Heart) training course was one the first courses where ToolBox held an active role. Prior to this a “Welcome Host” Training Coursetook place, with the idea copied from Scotland. This training course was mainly focusing on the younger generation with interest in the tourism industry. The “Welcome Host” Training took place in the Kalajoki, Reisjärvi and Haukivuori Municipalities in Finland.
ToolBox Consulting had something of “a second emergence” after Kari Halonen left the Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau in the beginning of 2012. This decision was taken after a year of planning the new career. The focus, at the very beginning, was on tourism development and marketing. Having such an extensive network of contacts in and outside of Finland, where the company today is based, has been a great advantage. Nowadays company operates in all Baltic and Nordic countries promoting these regions in nearly 30 countries in all continents.
Business Idea
ToolBox Consulting serves as a key expert and active player in the tourism sector across the Baltic and Nordic regions. We are dedicated to promoting inbound tourism from international markets to these areas. ToolBox Consulting supports tourism companies and groups of businesses in developing and marketing travel services tailored for international audiences.
ToolBox Consulting offers and conducts:
• Education and training programmes
• Product development
• Research and survey projects
• Improvement of marketing efforts (marketing activities, marketing events)
• Our emphasis is on an international approach in every aspect of our operations. We have marketing knowledge from close to 40 countries.
Social Equity
ToolBox Consulting Ltd. wants to be impartial and fair for all the people. Company actually has some focus groups in employment sector such as elderly people and foreign exchange students who have sometimes difficulties to be employed. We would like to be an example where social equity takes into account systemic inequalities to ensure that everyone in a community has access to the same opportunities and outcomes.
Also in sustainability operations we would like to collect primary choices when it comes to quality and environmental awareness. The company has a visible role in society and provides improved ways of operating in the tourism industry and particularly when it comes to leisure tourism.
ToolBox operates in cooperation with the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation.
and the Baltic Sea Action Group
All travel service provided by ToolBox Consulting have been certified in accordance with the list of Sustainable Tourism. There is more emphasis on environmental issues, but also the company ownership and status in the local society will be evaluated. ToolBox Consulting provides annual environmental action reports. We have conducted ourselves Good Travel Seal certification in 2024.
Memberships
ToolBox Business Idea is related to the international operations. Memberships in different tourism organizations is only one example on how we feel networks play a very important role for businesses nowadays. We want to be where the development is happening, in the core of actions. By operating in different organizations we are able to get more influences, contacts and research information. This immediately benefits our own network.
ToolBox Consulting Ltd. is a member of:
• AFTA Finland, Association of Finnish Travel Industry
• EBRD, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, consultancy role
• JATA Japan, Japan Association of Travel Agents
• Skål International, one of the biggest and oldest tourism organizations
• Svenska Resebranschföreninge n, Association of Swedish Travel Agencies
• Tourism Researchers Association of Finland
• GBTA, Global Business Travel Association
• VisitFinland Academy, consultancy role
Additional information
ToolBox Consulting Ltd’s Goals and Actions for Promoting Sustainable Tourism
We have listed here our activities how we as a company and company employees are promoting sustainable tourism. The titles are as follows:
- Sustainable Tourism Goals
- Employee Engagement
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Communicating Results and
- Monitoring Sustainability Impact
ToolBox Consulting Ltd’s Goals and Actions for Promoting Sustainable Tourism updated 24.2.2025
Good Travel Seal
We have achieved the criteria of Good Travel Seal which we accomplished in year 2024. We are currently making the Sustainable Travel Finland certificate, although we see that national sustainable development programs have challenges in terms of recognition and comparability to more international certificates.
It is good to remember that our company operates in promoting all Baltic and Nordic countries. Currently we are looking for best practices of making certificates in this area and find better solution to develop our sustainability operations in the future.
The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation
We are a big fan of The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation, which is a non-governmental organization that promotes the protection of old growth forests. The foundation has been active since its establishment in 1995 purchasing old untouched forests with donation funds and applying for a permanent protection for them according to the Nature Conservation Act. In Finland, a mere four percent of the forests in the southern half of the country is under legal protection. This is why the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation’s primary goal is to purchase forest sites from southern and central Finland. We donate annually funding to this foundation to protect forests.
United Nations
We like how UN sees sustainability. Read the 17 goals defined by the UN for the tourism industry.
1. Eradicate poverty in all its forms
from everywhere.
2. Eliminate hunger, achieve food security, heal nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
3. Guarantee a healthy life and well-being for all for ages.
4. Guarantee open, equal and high-quality for all education and lifelong learning opportunities.
5. To achieve gender equality and
strengthen the rights of women and girls and opportunities.
6. Ensures water supply and sustainable use and sanitation for all.
7. Ensures affordable, reliable, durable and modern energy for everyone.
8. Promote inclusive sustainability
economic growth, full and productive employment and miserable jobs
9. Build sustainable infrastructure as well as promote sustainable industry and innovation.
10. Reduce inequality within countries and between them.
11. Guarantee safe and sustainable cities and residential communities.
12. Ensures consumption and production methods resistance.
13. Act urgently on climate change and its against effects.
14. To preserve the seas and what the seas provide natural resources and promote their sustainable use.
15. Protect land ecosystems, restore them restore and promote their sustainable use; promote sustainable use of forests; fight desertification against; stop soil depletion and loss of biodiversity.
16. Promote peaceful societies and guarantee access to legal services for all; build efficient and responsible institutions in all levels.
17. Stronger support for sustainable development implementation and global partnership.
