The S group made a gigantic extension to its hotel on the shore of Pielinen and wants customers from Central and Southern Europe.
The S group will start marketing trips for foreign tourists to Nurmes in North Karelia, reported on Monday.
The group has invested 22 million euros in the newly opened hotel building with approximately 700 beds in the tourist area of Bomba. Direct flights to Joensuu will start next summer.
The flights are supposed to depart from Southern Europe and German-speaking Central Europe. Germans are among the three largest tourist groups in Finland, together with Swedes and Britons.
We asked the Germans in Berlin if the giant hotel built in Järvi-Suomi is attractive as a holiday destination.
Some disapproved of the hotel’s size and considered it unsuitable for its surroundings. Some got excited after seeing a video about the hotel. You can see the Berliners’ answers in the video at the beginning of the story.
The heat of the Mediterranean countries increases the demand in the North
A Finnish tourism expert believes in Eastern Finland’s potential as a tourist destination.
– Potential demand is based on larger global trends, such as the effects of climate change, people’s well-being, the authenticity of the environment and nature and activity tourism, Juho Pesonen says.
Pesonen is a professor of tourism business and director of the international master’s program in tourism business in Eastern Finland. In addition, he sits on the board of the North Karelia cooperative. Thus, the investments made in tourism in Nurme are familiar to him.
– Mediterranean countries start to be so warm in the summer that it is no longer safe to do activities there during the day. Then new opportunities will open up in Finland.
Many Berliners seem to share Pesonen’s view. So could climate change and scorching heat make them look for travel destinations with milder climates?
You can see their answers in this video:
Accessibility important
According to Pesonen, accessibility is key when promoting tourism.
– Direct flight connections and the ease of booking trips are in a big position.
According to Pesonen, attracting foreign tourists to Pielinen beach is a long process, and expectations have not been set high for the first few years. However, the first steps are important.
– Yes, there are enough tourists in the world. Perhaps that question ultimately depends on how well Eastern Finland can be properly productized and marketed.