The Japan Tourism Industry Association has chosen Finland as one of the main long-haul destinations. The Finnish lifestyle close to nature as well as sauna, design and Mölkky are now popular.
The Japan Tourism Industry Association has chosen Finland as one of the main long-haul destinations. Instead of tours, in the next few years, Japanese people will travel to Finland as their main destination.
Japanese people traveling abroad are now looking for experiences in addition to attractions. Finland has traditionally been number one in the Nordic countries in terms of overnight stays in Japanese tourism. Especially in the winter season, Finland is the Nordic market leader.
In the past, tours to Europe were popular from Japan, with Finland as one of the destinations. Now tour operators want travel products that focus only on Finland.
According to Visit Finland, changing from a tour destination to a main destination is a very positive thing. It means more accommodation and tourism income per tourist.
The Finnish way of life is tempting
Finland’s media presence in Japan is high. It is due to the title of the happiest country in the world and the sauna boom in Japan.
Interest in Finland is also growing, as one proof of this is the tourism-related search engine searches. Japanese people made the second most internet searches in Finland after Americans in the second quarter of the year.
Tampere’s trump cards are saunas and the Moomin Museum
A high-ranking delegation is currently visiting Finland to get to know the tourism offer. On Saturday, they get to know Tampere, which has named itself the sauna capital of the world.
The new hit product may very well be the sub-Finnish yard game Mölkky, which is a hit in Japan. Small birch cones can be seen in television series, for example, and mölkky yoga has even been developed.
– They are small things, somehow confusing from our point of view, that Japanese tourists are interested in. Maybe it’s a general feeling, a way of life. However, Finns are still close to nature, Saloniemi thinks.
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