Russian tourist spending reaches record levels
Tax-free sales growing apace in South-East Finland, while sales to Russian businesses have declined
This year, Russian tourists have spent more money in Finland than ever before.
The travellers are spending approximately EUR 350 million on goods and services meant for their own use. The figure has grown by almost 50 per cent in the course of the last two years.
The figures are based on a survey conducted at the border by Research and Analysis Center TAK, who interviewed 1,000 tourists from Russia.
The growth in spending can be attributed mainly to an increase in the number of trips to Finland made by Russian tourists. Slightly more than two million Russians had visited Finland by the end of November, which is almost 10 per cent more than at the same time last year.
The growth came as a pleasant surprise to shopkeepers, who had been afraid that Russia's new customs regulations would drive away travellers. The country set restrictions on tax-free imports at the beginning of the current year.
However, the aggregate total of EUR 450 million spent by Russians in Finland this year falls short of the figure observed in the record year of 2002. The difference is caused by the fact that the purchases made by Russian companies have declined.
Previously many entrepreneurs used cross into Finland to buy goods in small quantities, thus avoiding the Russian customs duties. The new regulations have hit these kinds of imports sharply.
The flood of tourists has resulted in a growth of tax-free purchases both in the Greater Helsinki area and in South-Eastern Finland, particularly in the city of Imatra, with an increase there of some 77 per cent in Russian travellers' tax-free purchases.
Christmas is starting the holiday season, and Finnish shops are again expected to be crowded with Russian travellers, who enjoy a lengthy New Year break.
One in two Russian tourists comes from the St. Petersburg region, and two out of three trips lasts only one day. The majority of these short shopping trips are made to South-Eastern Finland.
Russians are often drawn by the attractive prices and the large assortment of clothing stores. Towns like Imatra have naturally become conscious of the need to serve this lucrative market, and shopping malls feature rows of clothing outlets favoured by Russian consumers.
However, there are some clouds on the horizon in the form of reports of new shoppers' paradises going up in the St. Petersburg area. The prognosis is that while shopping associated with tourism may hold its own, the trade from the day-trippers will gradually decline.
Helsingin Sanomat
