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Sustainability has been one of Hiekka Booking’s main values from the very beginning. We want to be a part of the more sustainable tourism in these unique surroundings of Kalajoki. We have choosed EcoCompass as our enviromental management system, which has helped us to identify our most relevant environmental impacts and creating environmental program with objectives and concrete measures. We are also part of Sustainable Travel Finland -programme.
Commitment

Kalajoki & Hiekkasärkät tourist resort is one of the pure gems of Finnish tourist attractions. Tourists have come to this unique area over a decades. Kalajoki is best known for it’s beautiful, kilometres long sand beaches, but there is lot’s of more! Beside the sand beaches, Kalajoki is full of magical marine nature, forests and hundreds of small, green islands. Fresh air, arctic nature and unique athmosphere creates excellent venue for enjoying the nature at its best. All the amenities and services are close to each other with easy access – and also close to the nature!

Even though traveling promotes personal well-being both mentally and physically, we all know that tourism has also many negative effects for nature. That is why we all need to support and develop tourism with sustainable and long lasting ways. We don’t want to loose or destroy our unique nature, which is the main reason we travel here, do we?

Here all we who work in Hiekka Booking want to be part of more sustainable and long lasting tourism. We want to support sustainability in our own operations and also guide the travellers, who are coming to the area, and the owners of our holiday-apartments to act with sustainable and long lasting ways. It is possible to enjoy traveling and tourism in responsible way.

 

Tips for travellers
  • Turn off the lights and other devices after leaving the apartment and immediately after use. Unplug electrical appliances when you no longer need them.
  • Do not drain the water unnecessarily. Use water sparingly.
  • The room temperature is at best 20–22º C. If the apartment has a cooling air heat pump, do not set the temperature cooler than this and turn off the device when you leave the apartment.
  • In the summer, keep the apartment curtains closed to enhance the effect of ventilation. Consequently, the room temperature does not rise too high either.
  • Outside of the summer season, make sure that the doors and windows are closed. This keeps the heat inside.
  • If there is a broken device in the apartment, inform the staff about it. Broken devices consume more energy.
  • Recycle the waste generated during your vacation according to the recycling instructions found in the apartment folder.
  • Use the cleaning detergents in the apartment according to the dosage instructions.
  • Wash only full loads when using the dishwasher and washing machine.
  • Go to sauna, when it’s windy! Read more about the campaign: Vaasan Sähkö
  • Prefer local: when visiting the area, use local services, such as grocery stores, program service entrepreneurs, factory stores, and make your reservations through the companies’ own online stores and reservations. In this way, you ensure that the economy remains genuinely in the area, and does not trickle down, for example, to foreign booking operators in the form of commissions.
  • In the Kalajoki holiday area, the distances are short. If possible, move around the area on foot or by bicycle.
  • There are charging points for electric cars for example in ABC petrol station , Shopping Center Loisto, Tapion Tupa and beside hotel Santa’s Resort & Spa Hotel Sani.
Marina Resort - Kalajoen Rakennus
Tips for apartment owners
  • Choose high-quality and durable furniture for your apartment, which can be repaired as needed.
  • Choose energy-efficient devices as household appliances.
  • It is possible to recycle the waste of clients staying in apartments by getting recycling bins in the apartment and labeling them well.
  • By getting blackout curtains for the apartment, you can keep the room temperature comfortable even in the summer heat, and you don’t have to keep the cooling air conditioning on all the time.
  • Use fire-resistant textiles when choosing blankets, pillows, carpets and curtains for your apartment.
  • Check the condition of the apartment’s window and door seals at regular intervals to prevent heat from escaping.
  • Choose an environmentally friendly electricity contract for the apartment.
  • If possible, give customers the opportunity to charge an electric car during their stay.
Our co-operators

Almost all of our partners have environmental and responsibility issues involved in their daily operations. For most of them, it can be said that our partners are committed to acting responsibly and everyone has their own environmental work in progress.

The most important partners of Hiekka Booking are the cleaning service company N-Clean Oy and Comforta Oy, which produces Swan-labeled hotel textile service.

Whenever possible, we always try to make the purchases necessary for our operations from local stores. The cleaning supplies for the apartments are delivered to us 45 kilometers away, from Finntensid in Ylivieska.

When we organize, for example, program services or restaurant services for our customers, we co-operate with the holiday areas professional entrepreneurs while offering our customers the most suitable option. As a destination, our DMO Visit Kalajoki has committed to join the Sustainable Travel Finland quality program together with the city of Kalajoki.

Actions we have taken for a more responsible tourism

Examples of how actions that support sustainability can be seen in our business operations:

  • We always use eco-labeled cleaning products and prefer allergy-friendly whenever possible.
  • We recycle all the waste generated from our own operations and we also instruct our customers to recycle.
  • We believe in the power of co-operation and that’s why we always use local services whenever possible. We also guide our customers to use local services.
  • We are partners in local events and annually support local children’s and youth sports clubs with various sponsorships.
  • Our company is 100% Kalajoki also based on ownership! Our employees are professionals who have worked in the industry and in the Kalajoki area for a long time. So there is lots of local knowledge!
  • We co-operate with a local vocational school and offer internship opportunities to willing students. Young students are the future of the tourism industry and we want to support them in the first steps of their career path and share our expertise.
  • Pets are also welcome to stay with us, at no extra charge. We also have allergy-friendly apartments.
  • We recycle found items left in the apartments as much as possible. For example, we donate usable, forgotten clothes and goods to the local second hand store. Towels, sheets and old blankets and pillows are delivered to a local pet rescue and pet shelter as beds for pets.