Helsinki will
once again offer major events this year, including the
Tall Ships Races 2013 Helsinki and
the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
There
will also be brand new attractions, such as the Finnish Nature Centre
Haltia, which opens in May. Along with all the new attractions that
opened during World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, it
willfurther increase
interest in Helsinki as aninternational
travel destination. US news channel CNN
already listed Helsinki as Europe’s seventh hottest
destination in 2013.
Helsinki’s tourism year
once again boasts a wide range of top events. The IIHF Ice Hockey
World Championship in May will attract large numbers of Finnish and
international fans to
watch the games inHelsinki. The biggest
spectator event of the year will be the Tall Ships Races
2013 Helsinki, which is expected to attract half a million
visitors between 17 and 20 July. Around 100 ships are taking part,
bringing with them 2000 young sailors. The
Tall Ships Races take place in the Baltic Sea once every four
years. This year the race begins in Aarhus, Denmark and then
continues toHelsinki, Riga, and Szczecin in
Poland. Helsinki last hosted the event in 2000.
“Spectators
will have a chance to take a closer look at most of the ships when
they are in port, and a full programmeof
related events will take place in the areas around Hietalahti and
Jätkäsaari. Volunteers will play a big role in making it all
happen,” says Päivi Munther, a Producer at the Helsinki City
Event Office who is responsible for the arrangements in Helsinki.
Helsinki’s
year as World Design Capital in 2012 resulted in several permanent
new tourist attractions. For example, the Kamppi Chapel of Silence
and the Abattoir food culture centre will continue to add to the
interesting offerings.
Another
World Design Capital project is the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia,
which will open its doors this spring. Haltia will offer a major new
attraction in Helsinki Region from May onwards, presenting
Finland’s diverse nature to visitors in an exciting way. The nature
centre is expected to further stimulate interest in
nature tourism, not only to Helsinki but also to other
parts of Finland, especially to the tourism centres near
the country’s national
parks.
Similarly
to Haltia, the Kulttuurisauna “culture sauna” is a World Design
Capital project that will open this year. This intriguing new public
sauna is expected to attract not only local residents but also
tourists interested in trying the urban sauna experience.
Tourism continues
at record levels
According
to preliminary information the number overnight stays (bednights) at
Helsinki’s accommodation outlets
in 2012 continued at around the same record level as in 2011, when
3.4 million overnight stays were recorded. Statistics Finland will
publish the full accommodation statistics for 2012 in
mid-February.
“We
expect tourism in Helsinki to remain at the
current level in 2013, with further growth among visitors
from Russia, Japan and China. Due to the economic crisis in Europe,
however, we still do not expect any recovery in the number of
visitors from such countries as Italy or Spain,” reports Tuulikki
Becker, Deputy Tourist Director. The European Travel Commission also
expects zero growth in European tourism this year, with
growth resuming no earlier than 2014.
