Catherine Ghersi, the Chilean who bet everything to start an extreme tourism business in Finland
In Finland, the tourism sector has seen steady growth in recent years, with a strong focus on nature and adventure experiences. In this context, Catherine Ghersi became the first Chilean certified as an extreme guide in the country, leading her venture, Nomade Tourism.
Arriving in Finland with the idea of starting a business has been a demanding process for Catherine Ghersi, a Chilean based in Tampere. She trained as a guide in the International Wilderness Guide program, achieving a certification that, according to her research, no other person of Chilean nationality possesses in the Nordic country.
The preparation included survival in forests near the border with Russia and treks in Lapland with temperatures below -30 掳C. It was the culmination of a change initiated years ago, when she left advertising to devote herself to the tourism sector.
It was while living in San Pedro de Atacama and working as a guide that Cathi discovered her professional passion. She was in the midst of that when she met the man who is now her husband鈥攁 Finn.
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After a few months of dating, Catherine traveled to Finland to meet her now husband's family. In the middle of conversations about what would happen to her career if they decided to move to Finland, she began exploring alternatives related to her field. That鈥檚 when she came across the Wilderness Guide program, located 50 kilometers from Tampere.
After researching and visiting the place, she had no doubts鈥攊t was the right choice. With that in mind, she returned to Chile to apply as a student for the International Wilderness Guide program, eventually arriving in Finland on a student visa.
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Wildlife Certification and Market Knowledge
Once she graduated, Ghersi set out to create her own tourism company, focused on tours and experiences away from the mass market. But before reaching that point, she wanted to work in the industry in order to better understand how the market worked and to gain more experience.
Thus, she became a guide for the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland, hand in hand with expanding his network, while working in themed hotels and with local operators. There, she built her network while also leading activities in the snow, sauna, and ice fishing, all surrounded by reindeer's.
This led her to understand that when she started her company, she would focus more on quality experience, rather than the quantity of situations, thus it would be a boutique business, with ideal destinations and activations for small groups.
"I prefer small groups, of a maximum of eight people, because I am interested in them learning about the culture and nature authentically. I worked at large agencies that would bring up to forty passengers at once, and there I felt that some visitors did not leave with a profound experience," she explains.
The challenge of opening a company in Finland
Despite all these analyses, the start of Nomade Tourism - her venture - was complex: "They explained to me that I could use my personal account for payments, because I started as sole trader. Soon the bank objected to these revenues. They requested me to open a business account and justify everything in detail. It was an administrative phase that I did not foresee, and I was just doing what I was told by the first accounting company that was handling my bookkeeping at that time not knowing that at the end I will have some problems".
However, after starting her business, the pandemic came. To keep her project going during the COVID19 health restrictions, between 2020 and 2021, she was forced to juggle marketing duties at another company, taking advantage of her training in advertising.
After the end of the major travel restrictions, she revived the original idea and sent proposals to agencies in the United States and Europe that did not offer Finland as a destination. The method paid off: "I managed to get a deal with an American agency interested in luxury tours. Now they refer passengers who wish for customized stays and I am the one to create their dream trip to Finland. This year I鈥檓 about to launch a trip only for women, in conjunction with a Spanish firm dedicated to this segment. I looked for niches where Finland was not included, and that allowed me to enter".
The entrepreneur emphasizes that, despite being married to a Finn, she did not have an easy path to settling in. She says that the language and local norms require a high degree of planning.
Many people think that it's enough to just show up and start a business, but there are legal steps to follow and a minimum capital requirement to demonstrate. In my case, I already resided here at the time I formed the company, however, every payment and receipt are subject to verification. The bank contacted me several times to inquire about the origin of the money. I understand that regulation aims for transparency, even though one has to dedicate time to fill out forms and attach documents.
According to Ghersi, the concept of "trying your luck" does not apply in Finland, as the State requires clear business plans and procedures that cannot be improvised.
"(Finland) is a place where control is strict and there is little information in English about certain processes. I recommend getting accounting advice from the start, because dealing with personal and business taxes simultaneously can get confusing. I had to confront misunderstandings due to a lack of adequate guidance," he/she maintains.
Strategic Alliances and Routes Outside the Mass Circuit
The agency she runs operates throughout the year, with an emphasis on the winter season due to the demand for northern lights, dog sledding, and snowshoeing tours in the forest.
Autumn is considered to be a less expensive alternative, given that prices drop as the number of travelers decreases. People see images of snow and auroras on social networks, but they don't always know that Finland has periods with better weather conditions for such observations.
"March is recommended, as there is less cloudiness and the weather is more stable. Then in October, which is already autumn, the scenario changes and offers lower rates," she details.
Current situation and projections of entrepreneurship
After overcoming the uncertainties derived from the pandemic, Catherine Ghersi points out that her project has begun to stabilize, with a notable increase in requests coming from the United States and Europe.
In the beginning, I struggled with the day-to-day: responding to customers at odd hours, balancing the accounting, and ensuring the quality of each tour. Now, I have managed to form a base of reliable partners and an accountant who understands the dynamics of the tourism sector. This allows me to focus more on designing new experiences and strengthening relationships with those who already trust in my proposal.
The winter season, from November to April, continues to be the central axis of the offer, due to the high demand for snow tours and the search for the northern lights. However, Ghersi highlights the need to diversify during the rest of the year:
Autumn tourism is a large niche, with more accessible prices and landscapes different from those in winter. With the alliance I have with a Spanish agency focused on women's travel, I aim to position Finland as an attractive destination also in intermediate seasons.
In the medium term, it plans to expand its circuits to the western area of the country and consolidate the experience of small groups, where travelers interact directly with nature and local culture.
Likewise, Ghersi anticipates that she will continue working with international tourists through boutique agencies and specialized events. For her, the key resides in building a reputation based on the integrity of the tours, with experiences that transcend the number of activations, more focused on the emotionality of the memories they leave behind.
First Episode of 'Latinos Emprendiendo Around the World'
Ghersi's story was the highlight of the first episode of the series "Latinos Emprendiendo Around the World", an initiative that seeks to highlight the impact of Latin American entrepreneurs in different countries.
"Finland has a structured ecosystem for entrepreneurship, but knowing the rules and adapting to the business culture is essential. It's not just about bringing an idea and applying it directly, but understanding how the local market works," Ghersi concludes.
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