Matka 2004 – The Finnish International Travel Fair (15-18 January 2004) and Caravan 2004 (16-18 January 2004) will be held…
Matka 2004 – The Finnish International Travel Fair (15-18 January 2004) and Caravan 2004 (16-18 January 2004) will be held together at the Helsinki Fair Centre this month. The same ticket will be good for both fairs. The theme this time will be family travel.
With the rise in the standard of living and the increase in disposable income, Finns are spending more and more of their leisure time travelling nowadays. Finnish tourists want to find out more about foreign cultures, learn new languages, try different cuisines and explore local nature. Incoming visitors primarily associate Finland with nature, winter and snow and consider it a safe and peaceful country with plenty of space for rambling.
Growth in family travel from neighbouring countries
The family travel campaign which has been conducted by the Finnish Tourist Board for the past two years has produced good results and clear growth has been recorded in family travel from neighbouring countries. The goal of the campaign is to make Finland the leading year-round family travel destination in the Nordic countries.
Top event for professionals
This year`s fair attracted nearly 17,000 professionals in the travel field from 60 different countries. The largest number arrived from Russia, Estonia and Sweden. Professionals come to the fair to update information, make new contacts, meet colleagues and hear about the latest trends in the field. The trade fair offers foreign tour operators an excellent opportunity to meet Finnish service providers and find out what they offer.
Excellent chance for consumers to survey the entire field
The fair offers visitors an excellent chance to survey the entire travel field in one place and to get new ideas for holidays in Finland and abroad. Visitors can also look forward to plenty of entertaining programme, special offers and fun contests. Matka attracts avid travellers. According to research 27% spend more than 2,000 euros a year on travel.
Caravan fair offers just what families need
Visitors at the Caravan fair are active travellers who value the freedom to come and go when they please. In addition to holiday travel, caravans and camping cars are used in connection with different hobbies. Families with small children especially appreciate the advantages caravanning offers. They can bring along important items and enjoy sleeping in a familiar environment.
New caravans and camping cars as well as related equipment will be on display at the Caravan fair. Visitors can also get useful tips on caravanning, and this applies to old hands as well as people who are interested in taking up this form of travel.
Around 2,000 firms from 50 countries participated in Matka 2003. The Caravan fair included 42 exhibitors. Together the two fairs attracted 71,947 visitors.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
