Last year the number of overnight stays in Helsinki broke the four-million barrier for the first time ever, representing year-on-year growth of 13 per cent.
The number of overnight stays in Helsinki Region as a whole was 5.3 million.
As the nation’s capital, Helsinki is the driving force of tourism in Finland, as reflected especially in the high proportion of overnight stays by foreign visitors compared to the rest of Finland.
The number of overnight stays in Helsinki by foreign visitors grew by 15 per cent, while the number of overnight stays by domestic visitors increased by ten per cent.
“Tourism in Helsinki is doing really well right now.
“Most of our visitors last year came from Russia, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, Sweden and Japan.
“The biggest relative increases in the number of visitors came from Russia, by 37 per cent, and China, by 31 per cent, and we also saw growth in many other markets.
“The positive economic situation in many of our key markets has benefitted the global tourism industry and enabled both Helsinki and Finland to post record tourism figures,” commented Laura Aalto, chief executive of Helsinki Marketing.
Helsinki’s main attraction in the tourism markets is its proximity to nature combined with the intriguing urban culture and event offerings.
Tourists are increasingly interested in truly experiencing and gaining a genuine feel for the destination, as the most popular city destinations in Europe suffer from excessive tourism.
Smaller cities like Helsinki are well positioned to respond to the growing demand for experiential tourism.