The responses of most of the Swedes interviewed by SVT emphasize their low interest in their eastern neighbor Finland.
This summer, there has been a lot of news about how Central European tourists have discovered Finland.
Finland has been praised as a travel destination and a British magazine put Heinola on its list of “cool travel destinations”.
But some are not enthusiastic about Finland – the western neighbors.
Swedish public broadcasting company SVT has found out why so few Swedes are interested in Finland as a travel destination.
The number of Swedes traveling to Finland each year has remained almost unchanged for the past 15 years. Currently, about a tenth of the tourists arriving in Finland are Swedes.
However, many of the Swedish tourists stay with friends or relatives, which suggests that they already have ties to Finland.
In the stories of the Swedes interviewed by SVT, it is repeatedly emphasized that even tens of years have passed since their previous visits to Finland.
– I traveled in Finland when I was little, so it’s been a really long time, living in Gothenburg Ann tells.
The responses of most Swedes show little interest in their eastern neighbor.
– When I get to travel, I want to go somewhere warm, that is, to the shores of the Mediterranean in Southern Europe, a Stockholmer Pamela says.
– Traveling to Finland costs almost as much as long-distance travel. For example, ship trips shouldn’t be so expensive, even if you live in Stockholm Erika says.
– Finland is a very similar country. When you go on vacation, you probably want something different, who moved around Stockholm with Erika Fellow evaluate.
From Härnösandi John in turn, justifies his decision with a simple question.
– Which place has more history, beaches or bars, Italy and Rome, or Helsinki?
Many Swedes have an outdated perception of Finland
SVT interviewed for his story, the director of Visit Finland Kristiina Hietasaarti.
According to Hietasaari, the Finnish government grants very little money to promote tourism.
– We have such small budgets that we have to carefully consider in which areas Finland is more actively marketed. We haven’t been able to do any long-term or continuous marketing in Sweden.
The cuts planned by the government threaten to make Visit Finland’s task even more difficult.
– Of course, we would like to expand the Swedish target group and give younger Swedes a new image of Finland. Certain Swedes have a somewhat old-fashioned perception of Finland.