3.3 Promoting year-round activity

Due to Finland’s climate, many of its tourism industries are of a seasonal nature. The problem with the winter season is that, particularly during the week of the school winter holidays in Southern Finland, demand for travel services exceeds supply. In addition, trains have insufficient capacity. Spreading the school winter holidays more evenly between weeks 8–10 in February-March, and introducing two new holiday weeks (weeks 7 in February and 11 in March), would enhance the possibilities of tourism industry businesses to offer better experiences for customers and would improve the fluency of railway traffic in particular. This situation would improve markedly if the summer holidays were postponed by two weeks. Such a development would also have the benefit of Finns being on holiday at the same time as other Europeans.⁵

The program’s leading principles involve enhancing the acknowledged strengths of Finnish tourism while helping growth-oriented, networked companies in tourism clusters to succeed. Taking account of the State’s financial situation over the next few years, the strategy restricts itself to proposing only key objectives and measures. The strengths of Finnish tourism include a unique location next to Russia, attractive travel destinations (e.g. Helsinki, the Turku Archipelago, Finnish Lakeland, and Lapland, including Kuusamo) and the diverse services offered by tourism clusters. Weaknesses include accessibility in general, unfamiliarity and high prices.

The Program proposes that the Government decide on a strategic program for tourism for the years 2011–2015, launched by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. This program would aim to foresee and monitor development within the industry, while taking any new initiatives necessary and coordinating the preparation and implementation of measures proposed in the National Tourism Program.

List of references

1. Finland Tourism

http://www.photius.com/countries/finland/economy/finland_economy_tourism.html

Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook

2. Finland’s Tourism Strategy to 2020. Program of Finland’s Government.

http://www.mek.fi/w5/meken/index.nsf/(images)/Finlands_Tourism_Strategy_to_2020/$File/Finlands_Tourism_Strategy_to_2020.pdf

3. Economy of Finland

Information about Economy of Finland

http://english.turkcebilgi.com/economy+of+Finland

4. Economy and Tourism in Finland

http://www.newspapercountry.com/articles/Economy-and-Tourism-in-Finland.html

5. The economic role of hunting tourism–examples from Northern areas

Anne Matilainen

Susanna Keskinarkaus

http://www.helsinki.fi/ruralia/julkaisut/pdf/Reports64.pdf

1 The economic role of hunting tourism–examples from Northern areas, Anne Matilainen, Susanna Keskinarkaus

http://www.helsinki.fi/ruralia/julkaisut/pdf/Reports64.pdf

2 Economy of Finland Information about Economy of Finland

http://english.turkcebilgi.com/economy+of+Finland

3 Finland Tourism

http://www.photius.com/countries/finland/economy/finland_economy_tourism.html

Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook

4 Economy and Tourism in Finland

http://www.newspapercountry.com/articles/Economy-and-Tourism-in-Finland.html

5 Finland’s Tourism Strategy to 2020. Program of Finland’s Government.

http://www.mek.fi/w5/meken/index.nsf/(images)/Finlands_Tourism_Strategy_to_2020/$File/Finlands_Tourism_Strategy_to_2020.pdf