According to a visitor survey that was conducted for the Nordic Travel Fair Matka 2009, 37% of visitors intend to travel more this year than in the past 1-3 years, and 50% intend to travel as much as before. The survey was conducted by TNS Gallup and enquired about visitors' travel intentions compared with past years. A survey covering the entire population that was conducted in the middle of December also showed that the economic downturn has not affected Finns' intentions to travel.

The Matka and Caravan fairs at the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre attracted a nearly 86 000 visitors during a period of four days, including over 17,000 professionals in the travel field. The fair was more international than ever before, with exhibitors on hand from nearly 80 countries.

Visitors came to the fair primarily to get information on new destinations, particularly abroad. Over half of respondents said they were also there to get ideas for trips in Finland. A lot of business was also done at the fair: nearly one-third of visitors said they came to the fair for the express purpose of booking a trip. "We are very satisfied, since we achieved our objectives for fair participation," says Brand Manager Ira Vaskola of Blue1.

In recent years the Caravan event has profiled itself particularly to serve visitors who are just starting out or are thinking about buying a caravan or camping car. "The threshold for trying caravanning can be fairly high for many people, and there are plenty of misconceptions about it. At the Caravan fair visitors can get new perspectives on this form of travel," says Exhibition Group Manager Ms Rilla Engblom of the Finnish Fair Corporation.

The Meet Finland programme on Wednesday before the fair, which was arranged in cooperation with the Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau, was a big success and exceeded expectations. Nearly 80 Finnish enterprises were on hand, along with over 100 international buyers from 20 different countries. The buyers were tour operators who arrange or plan to arrange trips to Finland.

"Meet Finland was conducted this time in the form of workshops agreed in advance, and it succeeded beyond expectations. The buyers were really satisfied, as were the Finnish enterprises that participated. Meet Finland is an extra service for exhibitors, which also strengthens Finland's and the Matka fair's position internationally," says Ms Engblom.

The theme of Matka 2010, Travel as a Preserver of Culture, will be a continuation of this year's theme, which revolved around responsible travel. "Responsibility includes accepting and respecting different cultures, and so we want to draw attention to this matter by making it the theme of the fair," Ms Engblom explains.

The Nordic Travel Fair Matka 2010 will be arranged at the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre on 21-24 January 2010.