Pressemeddelelse fra Messukeskus
According to the holiday travel forecast, which surveys Finns’ travel plans, 2019 was a busy travel year for Finns. On average, Finns made four trips in Finland and three trips abroad in 2019.
“Domestic travel increased somewhat during 2019, and there seems to be a continuing interest in domestic travel, especially in city destinations. Finns also feel the pull of destinations abroad, as only 6 per cent of the respondents said that they would not travel abroad in 2020”, says, Anne Lahtinen, research manager at Kantar.
More than half of the respondents said that they intend to visit city destinations abroad. The trip is likely to be made to a destination in Southern Europe, where 30% of the respondents plan to travel, or to Estonia, which is favoured by 25% of the respondents. In the year 2020, in addition to cities, people will travel abroad for beach holidays and far-off destinations.
“The changeable summer weather and the long and rainy autumn in Finland in 2019 probably at least partly explain why as many as 44% of the survey respondents are planning a beach holiday abroad. Compared to last year, there are more Finns with a yearning for sunshine and warm weather who are setting their sights on far-off destinations”, says Heli Mäki-Fränti, managing director at the Association of Finnish Travel Agents, AFTA.
In contrast to long-haul travel, more and more Finns find holidaying in Finland in their own or rented holiday home attractive.
More money will be spent on travel in 2020
One in three respondents is planning to spend more money on travel in 2020 than in the previous year. More than half will spend at least as much money on trips as in 2019. In the past year, money was spent especially on accommodation in Finland, as well as on flying and travelling by train.
“When asked where they would travel if money was no object, the vast majority of the respondents said they would head to Australia, Japan, the United States, the Maldives or New Zealand. In Europe, the top two dream destinations are Italy and Iceland. It will be interesting to see where Finns will direct their increased travel spending. Will there be an increase in the popularity of destinations in Finland and the surrounding region, or will Finns fulfil their dreams of travelling to far-off destinations?”, says Anne Lahtinen, research manager at Kantar.
Experts trusted when booking trips
When booking a holiday trip, Finns increasingly rely on travel service providers and travel agencies. Some 68% book their trips through the websites of airlines, ship companies, railway companies, bus companies or other travel service providers, while 44% use the websites of travel agencies to book their trips. Most accommodation is booked through sales or comparison shopping websites for hotels and other travel services, or, increasingly, directly from hotel websites.
More information and survey results:
Matka Nordic Travel Fair, communications manager Eva Kiviranta, tel. +358 40 775 6609, eva.kiviranta@messukeskus.com
Kantar, research manager Anne Lahtinen, tel. +358 50 560 3186, anne.lahtinen@kantar.com
Tourism Survey 2020 by the Matka Nordic Travel Fair. Implemented by Kantar. The survey target group consisted of over-18-year-old people from Finland, excluding the Åland Islands. A total of 1,061 people answered the survey in November 2019.
The Matka Nordic Travel Fair, the largest travel fair in the Nordic countries, will be held from 16 to 19 January 2020 at Messukeskus in Helsinki. The international travel sales event Matka Workshop Day will kick off the Matka Nordic Travel Fair on 15 January 2020. To be held concurrently with the Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the Helsinki Caravan fair, from 17 to 19 January 2020. | www.matkamessut.fi | www.facebook.com/matkamessut | @matkatravelfair | #matka2020
Læs hele pressemeddelelsen på Via Ritzau her: https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/2020-holiday-travel-forecast-by-matka-nordic-travel-fair-expect-to-find-a-finnish-tourist-on-a-beach-or-city-holiday-abroad-or-in-the-middle-of-nature-in-finland?releaseId=69872651
