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Helsinki considered trendy and modern

09/01/2009

Did you know that visitors to Helsinki consider it to be the most modern and laid-back city-break destination in Northern Europe? In particular, those interested in new experience, nightlife and trends recommend Helsinki. Families travelling with children tend to visit Helsinki less than other Northern European cities. Helsinki is also considered to be a green and clean city, a pocketsize metropolis and a good destination in terms of cultural offerings. These and other interesting opinions are revealed in the Experience Design tourist survey carried out by Wonderful Copenhagen. The survey included a total of 14 Nordic and Baltic cities.

According to the research, visitors to Helsinki are less interested in museums and the city’s history than those who visit other cities. The majority of visitors preferred to be active and plan their programme as much as possible by themselves in order to experience the city as locals do. Helsinki ranked number one in terms of the desire of visitors to get to know locals.

Among Helsinki’s competitors, Tallinn and Stockholm were considered to be more traditional and historical destinations. Copenhagen and Malmö were most like Helsinki in terms of image. Tallinn was described as an exciting and romantic city, whereas Stockholm was strong in terms of the attractiveness of its attractions and events.

The results of the survey were reported at the Helsinki tourism co-operation forum on Tuesday 28 October 2008 by Ole K. Mansfeldt, Research and Development Manager, and Ellen Vestager, Researcher, from the organisation Wonderful Copenhagen.

The report can be found at http://www.hel2.fi/tourism/matko_tutkimukset/Experience_design_in_city_tourism_20080704.pdf

Background information

The Experience Design tourist survey was carried out in summer 2007. A total of 5000 tourists in 14 Nordic and Baltic cities were interviewed to find out about their expectations during their visit and how their expectations were fulfilled afterwards.

In Helsinki 603 tourists were interviewed, of which 11 percent were domestic visitors. One of the goals of the research was to find out how tourists planned their visit and what they thought of ready-made travel products.

The research partners in Helsinki were the Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau and Culminatum Ltd Oy – Helsinki Region Centre of Expertise.