The number of the Russian tourists in Finland has increased considerably this summer. According to the data received by the Finnish Statistics Bureau, our tourists had the greatest share among the foreigners who had holidays in the country.

The number of the visits of the Russian tourists in June 2011 increased by 28% in comparison with the same period of last year and amounted to 78 thousand people. The Germans and the Swedes took the 2nd and the 3rd places after the Russians. In general, the number of the nights of the foreigners in Finland amounted to 516 thousand in June (+9%).

The tourist flow from Russia has been increasing constantly despite the statement of the Minister of the Interior Affairs of Finland against the visa free regime with Russia.

“The procedure of getting visa is rather simple for the Russians. The price for the visa increased but the procedure remained the same. It’s easy and affordable,” thinks Alla Osina, Russian Express.

When such ferries as “Princess Mary” and “Princess Anastasia” appeared, the interest in the Scandinavian countries increased. “Good price, comfortable conditions and the possibility to visit 4 countries in 3-4 days, made such tours the hits of the season”, confirms Svetlana Drozdova, Deputy Director of Neva.

“The majority of the tourists go to Finland from St. Petersburg,” thinks Alla Osina, “but Moscow keeps up too. It’s very popular to have holidays in cottages in some islands, go fishing, and have excursion tours in Helsinki. The most popular route is the combination tour of several Scandinavian countries.”