A Viking reenactor plays the Nordic bagpipe

Tourism in Helsinki has never been as central to its local economy as it is right now. In 2017, the number of overnight stays in Helsinki shot up by 13%, crossing the four-million barrier for the first time in history, and overnight stays in the wider Helsinki region crossing 5.3 million. 

It’s stunning growth, but its source remains somewhat elusive. 

Finnish people are eschewing foreign holidays at an unprecedented rate, with last year showing a record increase in domestic tourism bookings, amidst a decline in the number of international trips. A number of reasons have been attributed to this emerging trend, including rising travel costs, environmental concerns, and a general revival of interest in local culture.

Benny Smeds is a fascinating individual, out to “spread the love” and help everyone he encounters. That's fortunate, as those traits lend themselves to his line of work as a life coach and as founder and CEO of VIP Finland, a luxury destination management and concierge service.

Born just outside Helsinki, Smeds went on to find himself abroad, everywhere from California to Switzerland, the latter being where he studied BBA and Hospitality Management at the Hotel Institute Montreux. Back in Finland, he set up his destination management company.

How airlines price their tickets is a source of many myths and urban legends. These include tips about the best day of the week to buy a ticket, last-minute discounts offered by the airlines, and the conspiracy theories suggesting that the carriers use cookies to increase prices for their passengers. None of these is entirely true.

The serene setting of the Pargas – or Parainen in Finnish – archipelago is made up of 10,000 islands. The recent union of five municipalities has created a municipality with one of the highest amount of islands in the Åboland (Turunmaa in Finnish) area. It is located in the Finland Proper region in southwestern Finland, and is a bilingual municipality with a majority of Swedish speakers.

RIVERS, lakes and the Kvarken archipelago – Pedersöre, or Pedersören kunta in Finnish, has a diverse nature to offer, not to mention excellent places to spend a day unwinding by fishing. It is a bilingual municipality in the Ostrobothnia region, with a majority of Swedish speakers. Historically it is one of the oldest parishes in the Ostrobothnia region.

Home of Finnish National poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Jakobstad, or Pietarsaari in Finnish, has been an important player in the cultural development of the west coast in Ostrobothnia. It is a bilingual municipality with a majority of Swedish speakers, situated by the sea.

On the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia lies a municipality which played an important role in Finnish history – both in its occupation by Russia, and its independence. Vörå, or Vöyri in Finnish, is a bilingual municipality with a majority of Swedish speakers. It is incidentally also where Jean Sibelius got married.

A river flows idly through a town in the Ostrobothnia region. A historic railway marks the spot of the harbour. The town is called Nykarleby, and is the centre of the Nykarleby, or Uusikaarlepyy, municipality.

Korsholm, or Mustasaari in Finnish, is located in the Ostrobotnia region. The municipality has a majority of Swedish speakers. Over half of the Kvarken archipelago region, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in Korsholm.