Tampere attracts a large number of international and local events. At peak times, average hotel rates can be up to 25% higher than in Helsinki.
Tampere is actively hosting events throughout the year, and this is reflected in the hotel room rates.
– In the summer, for example, we can have bottlenecks in terms of accommodation if there is a major international event and a lot of local events going on in the city at the same time. Of course, it is not desirable for these to eat away at each other’s audiences because there is no accommodation,” says Heinämäki.
Visit Tampere’s Ahjoharju points out that Tampere has never had as many people in hotels as this year.
– We have had big events. There have been no similar ones in Helsinki, and therefore neither these price spikes, says Ahjoharju.
Many hotel chains are now interested in Tampere. The city tries to respond to investment interest by looking for good locations for hotels in the zoning. Such are, for example, the developing area of \u200b\u200bSärkänniemi and the direction of Pirkkahalli.
Cities are encouraged to use Airbnb
Hotel projects naturally do not solve the acute accommodation problem. The city now wants to encourage residents of the municipality to rent their apartments, for example, during the holidays to people from outside the city.
– When planning your own summer vacations, you could take it into account if we have big events coming to the city at the same time. For example, next year the European Masters Games and the World Hockey Championships will be a real spike, when there might be demand for extra space, thinks Tampere City Competitiveness Director Anna-Kaisa Heinämäki.
At the beginning of 2022, the city of Tampere tightened the common rules of the game for accommodation operations, creating guidelines for short-term apartment rentals.
– This is a balancing act between a comfortable living environment and safety and reaching tourists. I think this is not the last round when this guideline is reviewed, says Heinämäki.
The Tampere City Council will discuss the matter at its meeting next week.