Helsinki’s tourism figures expected to show slight decline from last year

International cruise ships presumed to bring in more visitors than in 2008

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Despite the recession, Helsinki is investing vigorously in tourism, even though the summer tourism figures are expected to fall back to the 2007 level.
      In particular, business travelling into the Finnish capital has decreased. Because of the economic downturn, a worldwide decline of around four per cent is expected to hit the growth of the tourism industry this year.
     
In Helsinki’s case, the slump translates to a hundred thousand fewer overnight visits compared with the year 2008, when three million overnight stays were recorded.
      “From our point of view this is not a huge drop. We simply return to the 2007 level after three consecutive booming years”, explains Kari Halonen, Marketing Director of Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau.
      A third of the overnight visitors came from Finland and the rest from abroad.
     
This summer season more than 700,000 tourists are expected to pay a visit to Helsinki.
      Cruise ships, however, will bring in just about as many people as last year. According to Halonen, the number of passenger vessels docking in Helsinki may even exceed last year’s figure.
      Large conferences organised in Helsinki will also provide the city’s places of accommodation with additional guests. During the months from May to September more than ten congresses with 500 or more participants will take place in the Finnish capital.
     
This summer Helsinki will improve its tourism information services by introducing new visitor information points.
      In the course of the summer a new information desk will open at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport and after Midsummer a brand new information pavilion will be erected at Helsinki’s Market Square.
      In addition to the renewed family brochure, Helsinki will also try to attract visitors through the virtual medium of the Habbo Hotel social networking website, aimed at the younger generation.
     
The summer’s major happenings in town include the Finnish Province Days featuring Satakunta (in connection with the Helsinki Week in the early summer), the Helsinki Festival 2009 in August, and the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 football tournament, which is being played in Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, and Lahti from August 23rd to September 10th.
      Helsinki is also hosting a number of big concerts, most noticeably the arrival of Madonna in early August, at a sold-out gig that will draw a crowd of 80,000.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Recession not yet being felt in Helsinki tourism (16.1.2009)

See also:
  Helsinki to improve its image in order to receive more gay tourists (17.3.2009)

Links:
  Helsinki Week
  Helsinki Festival
  UEFA Women´s Euro 2009

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