Ahead of the Matka Nordic Travel Fair 2018, which will take place in Helsinki 19-21 Jan. 2018, the fair organizer released Tourism Survey 2018 that reveals travel intentions and top motivators of Finns to take time off to travel.
During 2017, 65% of Finns travelled in Finland and 55% abroad. Most of the trips abroad were made in Europe. After Europe, the most popular holiday destinations for Finns were in South Asia, which is where 7% of Finns travelled to.
Over the past year, 25% of Finns made one trip abroad, while 16% made two. People in the age group 50–60 travelled the most, with 26% making more than three trips abroad in 2017.
Motivated by relaxation, experiences and discovering something new
Half of the survey respondents travel to relax, to be able to break away from their daily routines and busy lives, and to see the world and different places. For one in three, the reason for going on a trip is better weather. Weather motivates people more than before: it is now among the four most important reasons for people to travel.
A quarter of Finns travel to discover something new and to explore new cultures, cuisines and people. The attraction of culture can also be seen in theme trips, with nearly a third of Finns having planned to go on a cultural trip. Food and wine trips have been planned by a fifth of Finns.
For Finns, travel is not socially competitive: fewer than one in ten travel because they want to go to remote, untouched locations, to achieve something unique, or to have extreme experiences.
Approximately 15% of Finns travel in search of experiences, appreciating shopping opportunities, events, concerts and leisure activities. A little more than 10% travel because they want to spend time and experience things together with their families or friends.
Responsibility means using local services
When travelling, the majority of Finns favour local service providers, such as hotels and restaurants, and reduce the tourism load on destinations by travelling during the low season. People who travel abroad a lot use local services more frequently than others, and observe the rules more conscientiously when visiting nature areas.
Other opportunities related to responsible tourism have still been largely ignored by the Finnish people. One in ten respondents have done volunteer work for the benefit of people, and almost as many have done volunteer work for animals or have paid CO2 compensation for their flights. Although volunteer work does not yet play a major role in responsible tourism, young people are more interested than other groups in volunteer tourism: one in seven in the age group 18–24 have planned to go on a volunteering trip.
Personalised theme trips
A third of Finns are interested in theme trips. The most popular theme trips include nature trips, cultural trips and sport holidays.
People interested in theme trips are young individualists: these trips are primarily planned and made by young people in the age group 18–24, executives, and people who travel a lot. Young adults, more than other age groups, plan and make theme trips related to, for example, culture, wine and food, extreme experiences, volunteer work, and nature.
Nearly three quarters of those who made theme trips planned and independently searched for information on the trips on the internet. A third relied on the recommendations of their friends and acquaintances. Some 16% of Finns use travel agencies to assist them in planning theme trips.
Tourism Survey 2018 by the Matka Nordic Travel Fair. Implemented by Kantar TNS. The survey target group consisted of over-18-year-old people from Finland, excluding the Åland Islands. A total of 1,050 people answered the survey in December 2017.
