The Japan Tourism Association has named Finland as one of the main tourist destinations. Lapland does not expect an influx of Japanese tourists this winter due to Finnair’s reduced flight schedules and the pandemic.
Finland has traditionally been the most popular travel destination for Japanese people in the Nordic countries, measured by overnight stays. The peak years were 2017 and 2019, when more than 225,000 overnight stays were registered. However, the pandemic slowed down Japanese tourism.
Now the revival is visible again, when the Japan Tourism Industry Association named Finland as one of the main tourist destinations. It means that the tour operators only want trips focused on Finland, while previously tours from Japan to Europe were preferred, and Finland was one destination among others.
– Japan has been an important target market for us in Rovaniemi and Saariselka, but now the flight restrictions, Finnair’s significantly reduced flight shifts and Japan’s still strict corona restrictions seem to prevent the market from recovering for the next winter season, says Hulbekkmo.
Lapland has a lot to offer Japanese tourists. Culture, lifestyle, clean nature and good service are trump cards. However, the work requires persistence,
– The Japanese especially value long customer relationships. We too have cooperated with Japan for 20 years.
The goal is to extend the tourist season
The Japanese love the northern lights, and in Lapland it is hoped that the tourist season will start already in the fall. As the evenings get darker, it becomes easier to see the northern lights. Lapland also fascinates with its cleanliness.
Of course, reindeer and Santa are also interesting.
The predictability of tourism is still quite difficult due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, but the Japanese market is opening up, Kärkkäinen estimates.
– China is still a closed country from the point of view of tourism. There, the pandemic restrictions are tough, but Japan is opening up. There are also direct flight connections to Finland, which will certainly have a positive effect.
Next winter, tourism in Lapland expects customers from, for example, Central Europe and Southeast Asia. Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand are, among others, growing countries.
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