The purpose of this paper is to discuss challenges and opportunities in using Public participation GIS (PPGIS) in planning at a tourism destination located in a rural context. The past decades' development in technology has opened the possibility for using digital tools such as PPGIS. PPGIS is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to broaden public engagement in planning and management practices. PPGIS usage in various planning contexts is well documented, however more research is needed on PPGIS usability for planning at tourism destinations located in remote areas of developed countries. This paper uses two case areas with similar characteristics, Sälenfjällen, Sweden, and Kymenlaakso, Finland to contrast and compare the PPGIS use in addressing mobility challenges, respectively. Both Sälenfjällen and Kymenlaakso share a key feature for being prominent tourist destinations located in remote areas that experience mobility challenges. For the destinations to develop sustainably, the mobility issues ought to be addressed for instance through planning conducted to ensure the development of tourism that includes wider societal, economic, and environmental goals. In both studies, the PPGIS method was implemented through surveys shared to visitors where the aim was to collect their perceptions on transport and mobility challenges that could inform destination management and planning. Findings from the studies indicate that the PPGIS adds to the planning process by improving the collection of spatially explicit data. However, there are still challenges in areas like data collection, sampling, and quality of the data gathered from the public and its implementation in planning. The study adds to a growing literature exploring the use of PPGIS in the field of tourism and recreation and is to our knowledge among the first to use it in a comparative tourism-transport context in the Nordic peripheries.