- Tourism in Finland
Finland attracted over 4 milliontourists in2005 , with most coming fromSweden . The value added by tourism is about 2.4% of the FinnishGDP , and provides around 60,000 jobs. The Finnish tourism brand is stated by the Finland Promotion Board. The brand has four main dimensions beginning with letter C: Cool, Contrasts, Credible, Creative.The Nature and the Finnish Summer
The summer is marked by long days in
Finland , especially in the far north where the sun does not set at all. Tourists can gofishing andcanoeing . There are several large lakes, including lakesSaimaa , Inari, andPäijänne . Walking is quite a popular activity in the summer. There are no high mountains in Finland, so climbing is somewhat limited. The highest mountain isHalti nearEnontekiö . It rises 1328 metres above sea level.Attractions
Finland is famous for its many
lake s, nearly 200,000 of them, not including the small ones. Finland is also known to have excellent water quality, and green deepwood s and forests around the sea, rivers, and the waterways. In Finland, tourists can sit on the shore of a lake,fishing , watchingreindeer ormoose and enjoying silence.Alcoholic drinks form an important part of the Finnish culture. When travelling through Finland it is imperative to try national favorites like: the national vodka
Koskenkorva , the liquorice flavoredSalmiakki Koskenkorva , and a mixture ofvodka andsparkling wine that can be roughly translated into English as the "Bitch slammer".In wintertime Finland provides excellent opportunities for
cross-country skiing and some foralpine skiing too. Many of the popularski resort s are situated north of theArctic Circle in Lapland, but there are exceptions likeKuusamo in the northeastern part ofOulu Province .Santa Claus is commonly known to live onKorvatunturi in Finland. In the town ofRovaniemi there is the Santa Claus Village for tourists to visit.Northern Finland and Winter Sports
In the winter there is a large
snowcastle with anIce hotel built every year in the northern town ofKemi .Rovaniemi is a place from which to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern lights. Tourists in the north of the country in winter often enjoy trips in reindeer sleighs with Sami drivers, or in dog sleighs.It is also possible to ski, with downhill resorts at
Saariselkä and Levi, and many cross country ski tracks throughout the northern part of the country. Ice hockey is a popular sport in winter, and it is possible to go ice yachting, or ice skating on the ice. Most lakes are also frozen, soice fishing ("pilkkiminen") is quite popular.The Cities
Helsinki , Finland's capital and largest city, receives many visitors year-round. During the summertime thousands of tourists approachHelsinki by cruising boats travelling across theBaltic Sea .Helsinki is known as a clean, modern and safe meeting point between the east and west. Helsinki has a reputation as the coolest party city in theNordic countries afterStockholm .Other popular tourist destinations within Finland include
Tampere ,Turku ,Oulu ,Kuopio andPorvoo .Transportation
"See also:
Transportation in Finland "The Finnish rail system is called VR. It offers InterCity and express trains throughout the country, and the faster
Pendolino trains connecting the major cities. There are very large discounts (usually 50%) available for children (7-16 yr), students, senior citizens, and conscripts. There are international trains toSt. Petersburg (Finnish and Russian day-time trains) andMoscow (Russian over-night train) inRussia . Connections toSweden are by bus due torail gauge differences. It's possible to take the Silja andViking Line ferries from Helsinki toMariehamn in theÅland archipelago,Stockholm (Sweden),Rostock andTravemunde in Germany, and toTallinn , (Estonia ).There are about 25
airport s in Finland with scheduled passenger services.Finnair ,Blue1 andFinncomm Airlines provide air services both domestically and internationally.Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway with scheduled non-stop flights to such places asBangkok ,Beijing ,Guangzhou ,Nagoya , New York,Osaka ,Shanghai ,Hong Kong andTokyo . Helsinki has an optimal location forgreat circle airline traffic routes betweenWestern Europe and theFar East . Hence, many foreign tourists visit Helsinki on a stop-over while flying from Asia to Europe or vice versa. TheHelsinki-Vantaa Airport has been ranked as one of the best airports in the world.ee also
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Provinces of Finland
*Culture of Finland
*Tourism
*Tourism in Norway
*Tourism in Sweden
*Tourism in Denmark External links
* [http://www.cometofinland.fi Come To Finland: Nostalgic Finnish Travel Posters] - A book about the early marketing of Finland
* [http://www.visitfinland.com Visit Finland] – Finland Travel Guide (by Finnish Tourist Board)
* [http://www.finlandforyou.com Finland For You] – Finnish people, culture, life style etc.
* [http://www.tte.ch/finland/ The Tourism Expert] – Finland links in 10 languages
* [http://www.mek.fi/web/MekEng/index.nsf Finnish Tourist Board]
* [http://www.mek.fi/web/MekEng/publish.nsf/6fbc23c71ea8ce81c2256a1b0039992c/88e1445ef16d853dc2257059003a1f6f/$FILE/Facts%20&%20Figures%202005%20v040506.pdf Finland Tourism Facts & Figures] – From the Finnish Tourist Board
* [http://users.kymp.net/jari.kolehmainen/ Welcome to Finland] – Finland facts
* [http://virtual.finland.fi/ Virtual Finland] - A multimedia guide with information, facts and daily news on Finland.
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