SKAL meets in Turku

Skål International Turku is hosting Area Committee Norden meeting for Skål members from the Baltic states and Nordic countries during the weekend. Skål International Area Committee Norden consists of clubs from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden. The meeting is held every second year in a country holding the Presidency. During the meeting the Presidency will be forwarded from Finland to Denmark.
The Meeting starts on Friday with a get together party at Restaurant Kåren. This event – an 80’s disco – is open to public. The official meeting is held at Best Western Hotel Seaport on Saturday. The agenda covers reports from the Clubs, The new Strategic Plan for Skål International and future events. Saturday’s meeting is followed by lunch, sightseeing tour and a congress dinner at Loistokari Island.
Attending the meeting are e.g. Senior Vice president of Skål International Ms Susanna Saari(Turku), President Skål International Helsinki Mr Stefan Ekholm, International Skål Councillor Ms Marja Eela-Kaskinen (Turku), Skål International Norden President Mr Kari Halonen (Helsinki), and two former World Presidents, Mr Jan Sunde and Mr Trygve Södring both from Norway. Sweden, Denmark and United Kingdom are also represented at the meeting.
“At the end of the meeting, the symbol of the Presidency, regalia is handed over to President fo Skål International Copenhagen, Arshad Khokhar“, explains outgoing President Kari Halonen.
Skål International (Association of Travel and Tourism Professionals) was formed in Paris in 1934. Skål is a professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship, enhancing sustainability and promoting discussion on environmental impacts of tourism.  Today, Skål International has 14 000 members in 400 clubs in 87 countries. Finland has been in Skål since 1948 and currently has 140 members in Helsinki and Turku clubs. Skål International is a member of IIPT and UNWTO and is also involved in ECPAT and The Code. Skål International has also signed an MOU with UNEP. The name of the organization refers to the Nordic Skål-tradition and hospitality received by a group of travel professionals from Paris visiting the Nordic countries in the 1930s.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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