Tag Archives: Finland

Sara Sodhi Juneja, Country Manager – India & Gulf, Visit Finland, said, “Lapland has experienced a remarkable 100% growth in overnight stays in 2023, and from January to June this year, the destination has seen 75% growth. Overall, Finland has received a growth of 25%.”

Due to political strike by employee unions against Finnish Govt. on 1-2 February, Finnair will start cancelling flights from 30 January due to no connections from Helsinki. Customers will be offered alternative routes, long-haul flights to be routed directly to their destination.

Dr. Tito Gronow, Minister, Deputy Head of Mission at Embassy of Finland, New Delhi shared that . He also shared that Indians have grown this year to become the largest group of visa applicants followed by Russia and China. Finland is looking forward to having Indians with open arms.

“In 2022, for trade engagement, we are planning several destination trainings in Tier 2 markets our Annual India Roadshow in Q3 in Delhi & Mumbai”, said Sara Sodhi Juneja, Country Manager – India & UAE, Visit Finland. She further revealed about Finland’s e-training platform. She said, “Finland has launched its brand new destination e-training platform Finland Travel Pro. In the platform, travel industry professionals around the world can learn about Finnish touristic attractions, what to do during all four seasons and get an overview on Finnish tourism companies. The platform is available in English and In addition to desktop version, Finland Travel Pro is also available as mobile application. The platform is targeted for international travel trade companies globally and it aims to increase the desire to promote and sell travel to Finland. Additionally, In 2022, for trade engagement we are planning several destination trainings in Tier 2 markets and our Annual India Roadshow in Q3 in Delhi & Mumbai”.

Tarja Koivisto, Account Manager, Global Sales Promotions, Visit Finland, has revealed that the country has recorded a 27% increase in 2019 over 2018. “I am extremely happy about the Indian market. We had this milestone of 100,000 overnights, and we crossed that last year. In 2019, we had a 27% increase from 2018 in overnights. We measure overnights at Visit Finland and do not consider arrivals. Hence, we would like people to stay longer when they come to Finland,” she said. Koivisto was speaking at the side lines of the Visit Finland India Workshop in Delhi. A total of 14 Finnish partners participated in the workshop in Delhi and Mumbai.

India has decided to offer visa on arrival to South Korean nationals, a home ministry official said. Like the Japanese nationals (who have been getting the privilege since March 2016), the facility to South Korean citizens include double entry visit for a period not exceeding 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes for entry through six designated international airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. According to an estimate, around 2 lakh Indian visas are issued to South Korean nationals every year, of which 80 per cent are tourists. On an average, 600 South Korean nationals arrive in Delhi daily. Though visa-on-arrival facility was earlier offered to citizens of 12 countries — Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea — it was discontinued in November 2014 after the launch of e-Tourist Visa scheme. The e-visa facility now covers practically all the countries of the world, 166 as of now, and foreigners can arrive at any of the designated 26 airports and five seaports in India without interacting with any official before checking in at the immigration counter. Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a printout of this authorisation. On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then allow entry into the country. Source: PTI

Dubai Business Events (DBE) has showcased the city’s capabilities and services to business event planners during a a three-city roadshow in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, attracting an attendance of approximately 490 business events and incentive buyers as well as wedding planners. DBE was joined on the roadshow by a number of stakeholders from Dubai, including Dubai Parks and Resorts, Jumeirah Hotels and Emaar Hospitality. The roadshow offered a platform for the DBE team to meet and engage with key decision makers, educate them about the services available to them, and detail how the convention bureau can support in planning their events in Dubai. Attendees were also able to discover Dubai and the world-class factors that combine to make the city a premier destination to host business events. Over the coming months, DBE and stakeholders from the city will conduct further in-market activities in UK, Sweden, Finland and Russia while also continuing to welcome business event planners for study missions from around the world to Dubai.