Otaniemi in Espoo will serve as the Athletes' Village for both games, accommodating more than 4,000 athletes and other delegates.
Seven students of hospitality management have been recruited as guides to serve visitors in the Athletes' Village in Otaniemi and Tapiola as well as during the disabled games at the Leppävaara Stadium. In addition, a map of services in the area will be produced and guided tours of Tapiola will be arranged for athletes and the media. The Tapiola Guide project is implemented by Espoo Convention & Marketing.
"The Tapiola Guides will stand out from the crowd with their retro-spirited lime-green outfits based on the old guides' uniform. The original Tapiola Guides served visitors to the Garden City from the end of the 1950s to the late 1970s," explains Project Manager Lea Rintala from Espoo Convention & Marketing.
In addition to assisting visitors, the purpose of the project is to utilize the attention received by the games to strengthen the image of Tapiola and Espoo in general as an interesting city that is well worth a visit. The games will attract visitors from more than 200 countries.
The Tapiola Guide project is sponsored by the local newspaper Länsiväylä-lehti, the Tapiola entrepreneurs' association Tapiola Toimii ry, Voglia, the City of Espoo and the joint education authority for the Espoo region (ESPA).
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