Domestic tourism has been popular among Finns in recent years and it has accelerated the creation of new tourism services. At Matka Nordic Travel Fair 2023, a record number of new or renewed travel destinations, storytelling accommodation services, cafes, restaurants, events, museums and activity offerings will be presented. Many of these also compete in Matka Nordic Travel Fair’s Responsibility Competition, the winner of which will be announced at Matka Nordic Travel Fair on Friday 20 January 2023.
"The last few years have had a very positive effect on domestic tourism. Finland now presents itself to the visitors of Matka Nordic Travel Fair as a truly versatile and attractive country for tourism. We have more inspiring accommodation options available than ever before, equipped for remote work”, rejoices Rea Sandström, Sales Manager at Matka Nordic Travel Fair.
The area showcasing Finland be presented more broadly than earlier at the upcoming Matka Nordic Travel Fair. Along with large and medium-sized cities, the smaller towns in the surrounding areas of these cities also welcome visitors to get to know them. For example, in the Go Saimaa area, in addition to the cities of Lappeenranta, Imatra and Savonlinna, more than 50 smaller towns, businesses and accommodation facilities are on display. There are certainly gems unknown to many to be found among these. To those who love the Lake district of Finland, the joint stand of the Jyväskylä-Lahti area offers lots of activities, not forgetting family travel. The Ruka-Kuusamo area and Lapland’s most famous tourist destinations can be found in their own stands, extensively presenting summer activities and events as well.
Finnish Archipelago presents destinations and cities of the Finnish archipelago such as Visit Åland, Turku, Pori, Rauma, Salo, Naantali and Parainen. The area of Vaasa and the Kvarken Archipelago with its ferry connections to Umeå in Sweden has developed its tourism services impressively in recent years. Likewise, the Visit Oulu area offers a wide variety of destinations for both summer and winter tourism and culture, from the Iso-Syöte fellscape to the old town of Raahe and all the way to the sands of Kalajoki. Kainuu Arctic Lakeland convinces the visitors of Matka Nordic Travel Fair with its well-known activity destinations in the Vuokatti and Ukkohalla areas and in the ”hiding places” of the neighbouring municipalities on the shores of Lake Oulu.
International areas
The small island nation of Sao Tome & Principe off the coast of West Africa will be presented for the first time at Matka Nordic Travel Fair. This equatorial volcanic island nation is a nature traveller’s paradise. The people are of African and Portuguese origin. Portuguese has remained the country’s official language since the 15th century, when the Portuguese settled the islands.
Another first-timer at Matka Nordic Travel Fair also comes from the African continent. Algeria wants to open up the country to tourists now and offers culture-hungry people a lot to see. If you want to see well-preserved ruins from the times of the Roman empire, the northern coast of Algeria has a lot to show. There are many rock paintings and carvings along the oasis towns and prehistoric caravan routes. Algeria is a huge country with over a thousand kilometres of coastline. Tipaza, the most famous beach destination, is located about an hour’s drive west of Algiers.
The warmth and rhythms of Africa are also brought to the Matka Nordic Travel Fair by Uganda, Tanzania and Namibia and many travel agencies. Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and the Maldives showcase the aesthetics of the Far East at the fair with their spectacular stands. Numerous countries are featured through friendship societies or travel agencies, such as India and Zimbabwe. The largest stands are the Finns’ favourite countries Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal, Poland, Estonia and Latvia.
Second Home – Holiday home, second home abroad
In the Second Home area of the Matka Nordic Travel Fair, you can learn how to purchase a second home or holiday apartment abroad. With the increase in remote working opportunities, interest in purchasing a holiday home abroad has grown. According to a recent tourism study, the remote work option extends the duration of vacation trips in paid accommodations by up to 3-5 days. The area has its own programme stage where current tips and experiences related to the purchase of a second home are presented.
Sustainability Square and over land travelling
Travelling over land has already become a phenomenon during the pandemic. For some, it is travelling by train to a destination, while for others it is a responsible way to move around and spend a vacation within a flight distance, for example by bike or by car. Different routes over land are presented at the event on various stands, as well as at the Caravan fair organised at the same time. Nature trails, cycling and hiking trails are new products in many cities and at many resorts and may also be found a boat ride away.
At Sustainability Square, you can find companies based on sustainable tourism. The area includes its own stage where the topic of sustainable tourism is discussed from different perspectives. The visitor can receive, for example, tips on responsible tourism when travelling to Sweden, Norway or Iceland. Next to the Sustainability Square, the Finnish railway company VR presents the possibilities and services of train travel in Finland.
Tasty Travel
Food is one of the major motivations for tourism and the highlight of a vacation. At Matka Nordic Travel Fair, food and restaurants play a bigger role than before. In the Tasty Travel area, visitors can enjoy flavours both from Finland and around the world and buy tastings to take home. The Helsinki Food Court restaurant complex, curated by Food Camp, is presented as a new section of the fair and promotes the vitality of the Helsinki city centre. Well-known top chefs are on stage and topics related to food tourism are discussed. Food samples are offered by Pompier Espa, Peloton Cycling Eatery, Yeastie Boi, Fat Ramen, Pastis and Happy Waffle.
”Tourism is a key industry for Helsinki, and Helsinki is a showcase of food tourism for tourists. Matka Nordic Travel Fair is a most international event and therefore an excellent place to present taste experiences to both international and domestic visitors,” says Matka Nordic Travel Fair’s Business Manager Noora Haatainen.
Sunny Village
Exhibitors and shipping companies from the regions of the tropical sun and world of cruising can be found in Hall 7. In this area you can find information about international cruises from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and all the way to the Far East. The We Love Cruises stage situated on the area offers programme consisting of different cruise route contents, attractions and exotic destinations such as Seychelles, Maldives, Thailand, Uganda and Tanzania.
Matka Nordic Travel Fair:
- organised for the 35th time under the name Matka Nordic Travel Fair
- previously organised in January 2020
- over 850 exhibitors from 70 different countries
- about 7,500 m2
