The topic of this thesis is the development of tourism in the Pellinki archipelago and networking among local businesses. The research question was to examine existing collaboration between businesses as well as development ideas among businesses in the Pellinki archipelago. The work was commissioned by the Porvoo Tourist Office.

In this thesis, I have included a description of the archipelago area and its history. My aim is to illustrate the attractiveness of the area with this description, and give an explanation of the archipelago culture.

The research method chosen for this thesis is qualitative research. I interviewed business owners individually in their home or at their place of work. The interviews were conducted January 2013. The people interviewed were local business owners in the tourism sector.

In my study, I found that the area is very attractive to tourists during the summer season. The business owners take a positive view of increased tourism in the area, as long as it is controlled and organized. Today, the business owners in the area lack an organized form of collaboration that would aid the development of organized tourism.

The area would attract even more tourists, if not for the lack of accommodation, among other things.

Key words: archipelago, ecotourism, networking