The largest tourism industry fair of Northern Europe takes place this week at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. Industry professionals start the event on Thursday, 16 January and the doors of the Matka Travel Fair are open for the wider audience from Friday, 17 January to Sunday, 19 January. Representatives from the City of Helsinki will be available on the industry professionals’ day, 16 January, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Helsinki Lounge.
“In international comparison, Helsinki stands out in that local businesses truly do their part for sustainability. For example, most hotels are environmentally certified, as are a large number of the activities and places to visit. Tourism operators are strongly committed to promoting sustainability, and the Helsinki Lounge at the Travel Fair provides an opportunity to get to know many of our sustainable tourism companies,” says Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Manager from the City of Helsinki.
Tourism company showcase at the Helsinki Lounge on the professionals’ day
At the Travel Fair, the City of Helsinki operates its own Helsinki Lounge (7c128). On the professionals’ day, 16 January 2025, it will host a dozen interesting and sustainable tourism operators including activity, conference, transportation and accommodation companies. There are activities at the Lounge from 10 am to 4 pm. On other days of the fair, Helsinki Lounge is open to all visitors.
Helsinki is Finland’s most significant tourism destination – growth is expected to continue
Most of tourist spending in Finland goes to various services in Helsinki, in total about 1.5 billion euros in 2023. This is a growth of up to 25 per cent from last year. There has also been a significant increase in the number of overnight stays at hotels and other accommodation establishments and in 2024, the number of registered overnight stays has returned to pre-covid levels.
“We expect this growth to continue in 2025. For example, more flight have been booked to Helsinki for the coming months compared to last year,” says tourism manager Vesterinen.
Helsinki wants to remain the world's most sustainable tourist destination. Concurrently, the city aims to attract significantly more tourists. These goals can be achieved simultaneously by developing sustainable tourism in partnership with the residents, businesses, associations and public actors.
Sustainable tourism bolsters the city’s vitality
The tourism sector employs almost 28,000 people in Helsinki, which is roughly 8% of all positions in the city. Young adults and immigrants make up a significant portion of the people employed in the tourism sector.
Tourism income does not go solely to developing services for tourists, but it also bolsters the services that residents use, such as stores, restaurants, cultural destinations and public transport, which have a significant impact on the vitality of the city.
On Friday, 17 January, the Matkatieto Stage will host a Politicians’ Panel, who will discuss the important of tourism as a driver of Finland’s competitiveness and as a pillar of sustainable growth. The panel also includes mayoral candidates from Helsinki.
