china tourism finland

Ukamaki attracts Chinese to southern Finland through Nordic lifestyle experiences

May 10, 2019 | Article

The number of Chinese tourists is on the rise. In the region of Kotka-Hamina and Eastern Uusimaa, the plan is to attract them through nature experiences, luxury holidays and organic food.

Last year, around 389,000 Chinese tourists visited Finland, and the number is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. The delights of Lapland (Santa Claus and Northern Lights) are already well known, but how could the tourist stream be directed to southern Finland – particularly outside the Helsinki metropolitan area?

The goal of UKAMAKI – New Growth for Tourism from China – a joint project of Posintra and Cursor – is to produce easy and attractive packages for Chinese tourists in the Porvoo and Kotka-Hamina Porvoo regions, as well as to open new sales channels to China.

“The competition for Chinese tourists is tough, but this area has good potential due to its location. The western fringe is just 30 minutes from Helsinki and the easternmost reaches are within 90 minutes from St. Petersburg,” explains the project’s China expert Martti Mustila from Cursor.

The region’s growth-oriented tourism and service companies that meet Visit Finland’s internationalisation criteria were invited to take part in the project.

“The entrepreneurs were interested in the project and the groups were filled up quickly,” says Jenni Juuvinmaa , a project expert at Ukamaki.

Chinese travel agencies are after unique travel destinations

In Finland, Chinese tourists are particularly interested in nature experiences. They prefer to purchase their trips online as customised packages, from Chinese travel agencies.

“Chinese tourists will only buy holidays from Chinese travel agents,” Mustila emphasises. “Selling travel packages to China is a challenge. You must know the language, have contacts and understand the local market. Chinese consumers are not easily able to access Finnish websites due to stringent firewalls.”

The Chinese travel market is dominated by the country’s largest and world’s second largest online travel agency, Ctrip, with a market share of 70 percent. Smaller travel agencies are seeking a competitive advantage by offering unique products.

“Travel services are offered to the Chinese market on a massive scale! We offer travel agencies something new and unique to enable them to stand out from their competitors,” explains Mustila.

The Ukamaki project was designed to cater for educated middle class Chinese tourists who look for tailor-made travel products that contain organised activities. “Most of them have perhaps been to Paris, London and other European destinations. Finland is a new and interesting destination for them.”

Interest in countryside, nature and luxury activities

During the autumn and winter, the services of the companies involved in the Ukamaki project have been collated into nine customised packages for Chinese tourists . Most packages offer accommodation, nature activities, dining and shopping for 2 nights and 3 days.

The Chinese tourists can try living like Vikings, rent their own island or calm down in Deep Forest yoga, in the forests of Porvoo.

The aim is to produce a total of 10-15 experience packages by the end of the project.

All sites will offer materials that are of interest to Chinese tourists: videos, brochures and high-quality image packages that the Chinese travel agents can use in their marketing.

“The Chinese are very visual. The pictures must show exotic experiences, fun activities and feature Chinese tourists. When buying a trip, the Chinese tourist trusts a travel product if he sees that his compatriots have also visited here,” Mustila explains.

When putting the packages together, local stories and company-related anecdotes were used.

“The Chinese, like all other tourists, want authentic experiences and stories. Finns are often too modest. We cannot compete with what we do not have, but we can offer pristine nature and cultural experiences that the Chinese cannot find anywhere else. Experience packages are available at: www.orientalbeat.net . The site is intended for travel agencies.

You can learn about the travel packages so far offered within the Ukamaki project at www.orientalbeat.net

The first Ukamaki tourists are expected

The opening of new sales channels has been accelerated by participating in the China Road Show, organised by Visit Finland. On the sales tour, Mustila, who represented Ukamaki, was able to test the attractiveness of the Kotka-Hamina and Porvoo products.

“The feedback from the tour was positive. In addition to the new experience packages, travel agencies liked the fact that we gave them free-to-use images and videos of our travel packages,” Mustila explains.

In Finland, tourism services are being made more attractive to Chinese tourists by organising training courses for participating travel companies to make them familiar with the needs of Chinese tourists.

The next step is attracting travel agents to the area to get to know the experience packages, as buyers usually want to test the products before they sell them to consumers.

The Ukamaki project will continue until the end of 2020.

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China’s Tourism Ministry opens group tourism to Finland

Visit Finland’s director of Greater China, David Wu, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that he was excited by China’s decision to reopen group tourism to Finland.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has recently issued a notice allowing companies to operate outbound group tours. Wu welcomed this development and said he eyed great potential for collaboration between the two countries in the tourism sector.

“China plays a vital role in global tourism development,” Wu said.

He added that Finland is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, especially during the winter season. The Northern Lights, Santa Claus and the ice hotels have attracted many Chinese tourists in the past.

With the reopening of group tourism, cooperation within the tourism industry between Finland and China is expected to expand.

To attract more Chinese tourists, Visit Finland plans to increase the visibility of the country’s tourist attractions on social media and to promote collaboration between Finnish travel agencies and Chinese tourism trade partners through organized events and exhibitions.

Source: english.news.cn

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China‘s resumes collective tourism to Finland

Thursday, September 14, 2023 Favorite

David Wu, Visit Finland‘s director of Greater China, said that he is thrilled regarding China‘s choice to restart collective tourism to Finland.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in China has newly delivered a notification permitting countrywide travel agencies and online tourism businesses to function outbound group trips and present ‘flight + hotel’ packages for Chinese residents to a third lot of designated countries and regions, comprising Finland.

Wu greeted this expansion and said that he witnessed noteworthy prospect for association between the two nations in the tourism division.

Wu said that China, as the second-largest economy in the world, plays a dynamic role toward world-wide tourism growth. He said that they enthusiastically greet Chinese group travelers to come to Finland in the approaching months.

Wu said that Finland is a well-liked country for Chinese tourists, specifically those coming in for winter vacations. The Northern Lights, Santa Claus and the ice hotels have enticed several Chinese travelers.

Wu said that he considers that the prospect of collaboration between the two nations in tourism and civil aviation, along with traditional interactions, appears encouraging.

With the recommencement of group tourism, tourism collaboration between Finland and China is projected to turn livelier, giving rise to more openings for joint visits and increasing joint understanding and traditional interactions between the two countries.

Tags: Chinese tourists , finland

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• Finland welcomes China's resumption of group tours: tourism official

HELSINKI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- David Wu, Visit Finland's director of Greater China, said in a recent written interview with Xinhua that he was excited by China's decision to reopen group tourism to Finland.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has recently issued a notice allowing nationwide travel agencies and online tourism companies to operate outbound group tours and offer "flight + hotel" packages for Chinese citizens to a third batch of selected countries and regions, including Finland.

Wu welcomed this development and said he saw significant potential for collaboration between the two countries in the tourism sector.

"China, as the world's second-largest economy, plays a vital role in global tourism development. We wholeheartedly welcome Chinese group tourists to visit Finland in the coming months," Wu said.

He noted that Finland is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, especially for winter leisure travelers. The Northern Lights, Santa Claus and the ice hotels have attracted numerous Chinese tourists.

Wu said he believes that the future of cooperation between the two countries in tourism and civil aviation, as well as cultural exchanges, looks promising.

With the resumption of group tourism, tourism cooperation between Finland and China is expected to become more active, providing more opportunities for mutual visits and enhancing mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between the two nations.

To attract more Chinese tourists, Visit Finland plans to increase the visibility of the country's tourist attractions on social media and to promote collaboration between Finnish travel agencies and Chinese tourism trade partners through organized events and exhibitions.

Visit Finland is a part of Business Finland, which is the official government agency for trade and investment promotion. Enditem

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Chinese tourists' enthusiasm for winter sports boosts Finnish tourism growth

A total of 140,000 Chinese tourists are coming to Finland from December 2019 to February 2020, up 16 percent from last winter.

The rising number of Chinese tourists has contributed to the growth of Finnish tourism, according to Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Citing booking numbers from Visit Finland, the report said a total of 140,000 Chinese tourists are coming to Finland from December 2019 to February 2020, up 16 percent from last winter.

Direct flights from China to Finland are the driving force for the tourist growth. China's Juneyao Air, Tibet Airlines and Sichuan Airlines all started flights to Helsinki in 2019.

Finland's national carrier Finnair also started to offer thrice weekly flights to Beijing Daxing International Airport this autumn, in addition to the seven weekly flights to Beijing Capital International Airport.

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HELSINKI FINLAND

Kiuru: Finland to draft restrictions for travellers arriving from China

Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru (SDP) reacted at a news conference in Helsinki on 20 December 2022. Kiuru on Thursday said Finland has started drafting stricter border controls for travellers arriving from China. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

• Previous Article Finland to require negative tests from arrivals from China
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MINISTER of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru (SDP) says Finland will start drafting restrictions for travellers arriving from China. The European Union recommended on Wednesday that travellers from China be required to present a negative coronavirus test taken no more than 48 hours before departure due to the exacerbating coronavirus situation in China.

Member states are also recommended to introduce a mask mandate on all flights to and from China.

China has witnessed a surge in coronavirus infections after the government, in an abrupt policy turnabout, scrapped its hardline restrictions on 7 December, leaving both hospitals and crematoriums buckling, according to the Guardian .

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday criticised China for understating coronavirus-related hospital admissions, intensive care admissions and, especially, deaths, after the country dramatically narrowed the criteria for classifying deaths from Covid-19. While China has officially recorded only 22 deaths from the coronavirus since last month, a rising number of deaths among prominent public figures has stirred up concerns among the public.

“We still do not have complete data,” Michael Ryan , the emergencies director at WHO, stated to the Guardian on Wednesday.

While Germany and Sweden have already announced testing requirements on travellers arriving from China, there is hardly a consensus on the benefits of testing arrivals, Helsingin Sanomat wrote on Thursday. Jari Jalava , a senior expert at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), stated to the newspaper that the testing requirement would have a rather insignificant, if not entirely non-existent, impact on the epidemiological situation in Finland.

“Not a single country has managed to stop new virus variants at its border during the pandemic with comparable or even stricter measures,” he reminded .

Also Japan and the US have announced stricter border controls for arrivals from China.

Timo Aronkytö , the director of the Well-being Services County of Vantaa and Kerava, on Wednesday dashed cold water on the idea of returning to mandatory large-scale testing of arrivals at Helsinki Airport.

“We’d currently be able to post exactly zero nurses to the airport to test passengers. There’s a shortage of nurses in hospitals and care homes. Transferring them to the airport would needlessly jeopardise the health of people,” he stated to Helsingin Sanomat.

“There’s no staff, there’s no space – even if the money was available. The number of arriving passengers is much higher.”

Aronkytö estimated that a possible solution could be to have border officials deny entry to arrivals from China without proof of a recent negative coronavirus test. “This wouldn’t be without holes either because you could’ve got the coronavirus certificate two days before the flight and the infection half an hour [before arrival],” he commented.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

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Finland welcomes China's resumption of group tours: tourism official

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-09-11 22:23:30

HELSINKI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- David Wu, Visit Finland's director of Greater China, said in a recent written interview with Xinhua that he was excited by China's decision to reopen group tourism to Finland.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has recently issued a notice allowing nationwide travel agencies and online tourism companies to operate outbound group tours and offer "flight + hotel" packages for Chinese citizens to a third batch of selected countries and regions, including Finland.

Wu welcomed this development and said he saw significant potential for collaboration between the two countries in the tourism sector.

"China, as the world's second-largest economy, plays a vital role in global tourism development. We wholeheartedly welcome Chinese group tourists to visit Finland in the coming months," Wu said.

He noted that Finland is a popular destination for Chinese tourists, especially for winter leisure travelers. The Northern Lights, Santa Claus and the ice hotels have attracted numerous Chinese tourists.

Wu said he believes that the future of cooperation between the two countries in tourism and civil aviation, as well as cultural exchanges, looks promising.

With the resumption of group tourism, tourism cooperation between Finland and China is expected to become more active, providing more opportunities for mutual visits and enhancing mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between the two nations.

To attract more Chinese tourists, Visit Finland plans to increase the visibility of the country's tourist attractions on social media and to promote collaboration between Finnish travel agencies and Chinese tourism trade partners through organized events and exhibitions.

Visit Finland is a part of Business Finland, which is the official government agency for trade and investment promotion. ■

China, Finland vow to strengthen cooperation

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Finland is willing to expand cooperation with China in areas such as investment, tourism and the environment, according to the country's foreign minister.

Chinese tourism to Finland has increased a lot in recent years, and Finland opened 13 new visa application centers in China last year, according to Finland Foreign Minister Timo Soini in an interview with Xinhua Tuesday.

Soini arrived in China on Sunday for a four-day visit, and said that he hoped Finland would attract more Chinese visitors.

"Finland is a firm supporter of initiatives which enhance connectivity between Europe and Asia," he said, when discussing the Belt and Road Initiative.

China proposed the initiative in 2013 to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

He lauded the Chinese government's efforts in environmental protection, citing the targets and green development in the country's current five-year-plan.

"Today, China is already the biggest installer of renewable energy in the world," he said. "I see huge cooperation potential in the environmental sector. Finland has for instance worked closely with China in offering more energy efficient and smart solutions."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Soini in Beijing on Monday. Wang said he hoped both countries would actively work to build a future-oriented new type of partnership. They also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

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China recovers its position as top spender in 2023 as Asia and the Pacific reopens to tourism

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China has recovered its position as top spender on international tourism in 2023 as Asia and the Pacific consolidates its recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2022, the list of top spenders was headed by the United States. France, Spain and USA took the top spots for most-visited destinations.

Top Tourism Spenders in 2023 

Chinese expenditure on travel abroad reached USD 196.5 billion in 2023, ahead of the United States (USD 150 billion), Germany (USD 112 billion), the United Kingdom (USD 110 billion) and France (USD 49 billion). Making up the top ten spenders for 2023 are Canada, Italy, India, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea. India jumped to 8th place, from 14th in 2019, confirming the growing importance of the country as a source market, while Italy rose from 10th to 7th position. 

Top in arrivals and receipts: France, Spain and USA consolidate their positions 

France consolidated its position as the world’s most visited destination in 2023 with 100 million international tourist arrivals. Spain was second with 85 million, followed by the United States (66 million), Italy (57 million) and Türkiye, which closed the top five with 55 million international tourists.  

Completing the top ten most visited destinations in 2023 are Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece and Austria. Compared to before the pandemic, Italy, Türkiye, Mexico, Germany and Austria all rose one position, while the United Kingdom rose from 10th to 7th and Greece from 13th to 9th. 

On the side on international tourism receipts, the ranking is led by the United States, earning USD 176 billion in 2023, followed by Spain (USD 92 billion), the United Kingdom (USD 74 billion), France (USD 69 billion) and Italy (USD 56 billion). 

Following the above, destinations earning the most from international tourism in 2023 include the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Macao (China), India and Mexico which complete the top 15 list of tourism earners.  

Upward movements in the ranking among the top earners include the UK jumping to the 3rd position from 5th pre-pandemic, the United Arab Emirates from 13th to 6th, Türkiye from 12th to 7th, Canada from 15th to 9th, Saudi Arabia from 27th to 12th, and Mexico from 17th to 15th.  

Croatia (from 32nd to 25th), Morocco (from 41st to 31st) and the Dominican Republic (43rd to 34th) also moved up in the Top 50 ranking by receipts in 2023, as did Qatar (from 51st to 37th) and Colombia (50th to 44th). 

Looking ahead to a full recovery globally in 2024 

As per the latest World Tourism Barometer , in 2023 international tourist arrivals recovered 89% of 2019 levels and 97% in Q1 2024. UN Tourism’s projection for 2024 points to a full recovery of international tourism with arrivals growing 2% above 2019 levels, backed by strong demand, enhanced air connectivity and the continued recovery of China and other major Asian markets. 

Total export revenues from international tourism, including both receipts and passenger transport, reached an estimated USD 1.7 trillion in 2023, about 96% of pre-pandemic levels in real terms. Tourism direct GDP recovered pre-pandemic levels in 2023, reaching an estimated USD 3.3 trillion, equivalent to 3% of global GDP. 

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