Slovakia takes first step to attract more Finnish tourists

Timo Kousa last visited Slovakia almost 20 years ago. The Finn, who runs the Aurinkomatkat Suntours tour operator, visited Košice back then.

“Your country is beautiful, there are so many possibilities. In Bratislava you can enjoy great beer, wine or food. You are really lucky,” he told the public broadcaster RTVS last week.

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Recently, about a hundred of representatives from Finnish tour operators have visited Slovakia. For some, it was their first visit to the country. Their mission? To convince more Slovak tourists to visit Finland, but as well help Slovakia to attract more Finnish tourists.

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Despite both nations sharing a love of ice hockey and nature, there are no direct flights between Slovakia and Finland. A flight from Schwechat airport outside Vienna lasts about three hours. However, this appears to be not very appealing to tourists.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, 14,000 Finns travelled to Slovakia every year. It was almost 9,000 last year.

Finns like Bratislava the most, in particular the Old Town, the public broadcaster reports. But they spend no more than two days in the city, missing out on the places that local people enjoy visiting in the city.

The Tourism Ministry claims that the average number of overnight stays can be increased. With new projects, including the promotion of Slovakia’s hidden gems, the ministry hopes to attract more foreign, including Finnish, tourists.

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It is not known what Slovak people love about Finland tourism-wise, but they are familiar with the food delivery app, Wolt, as well as other brands like Finlandia Vodka and Nokia, in addition to the country’s sauna culture.