People came to the Matka Nordic Travel Fair to get inspiration for their summer travels. Fair visitors were also interested in sustainable travel. The concurrent Caravan 2020 event displayed recreational vehicles.

Together, the events, held between 16 and 19 January, attracted a total of 68 300 visitors to Messukeskus. 

People came to the Matka Nordic Travel Fair to dream of future trips, with 42% of the visitors looking specifically at travel deals. Some 82% of the visitors sought tips and inspiration for their spring and summer travels. 

People showed an interest in sustainability, and more than half of the visitors felt that they had received new information about and inspiration for sustainable and eco-friendly forms of travel, and the preservation of biodiversity at travel destinations. The Maata pitkin (‘By Land’) travel fair was held for the first time in conjunction with the Matka Nordic Travel Fair. 

Every fifth respondent to the visitor survey said that they had explored recreational vehicles at the Caravan 2020 event.

Domestic tourism on the rise

Some 60% of the visitors said they came to the event because of destinations in Finland, and 85% of the visitors wanted tips especially on domestic nature destinations and mini-breaks. Of destinations in Finland, Kainuu staged an impressive launch of its new Kainuu Arctic Lakeland brand at the event, with a joint stand that represented the entire region.

“We have received really good feedback on the new Kainuu Arctic Lakeland brand and stand. The stand was in an excellent location, attracting a high number of visitors. All the travel companies and organisations in the region were presented at the stand under the same roof, and visitors received comprehensive information about the various destinations and travel service providers in the region. Both consumers and professionals in the travel industry have expressed an interest in our new brand, and through a brand survey that we commissioned, we will continue to further refine our brand”, says Salli Mikkonen, who was responsible for the events at the joint stand coordinated by the Regional Council of Kainuu. 

Partner country Estonia made a strong showing

The event package attracted 997 exhibitors from 89 countries. Mongolia and Sierra Leone were featured at the event for the first time. The partner country of the Matka Nordic Travel Fair was Estonia, which made an impressive showing with 56 exhibitors. 

“The atmosphere in the exhibition hall has been friendly, and the feedback from fair visitors on the visibility and contribution of Estonia and Estonian exhibitors has been sincerely positive. Saaremaa’s success in the Sustainable Travel Competition crowned our weekend, and it sets a great example for other Estonian counties, too. I am looking forward to the impact of our partner country status on people’s eagerness to travel in the spring – the people working in Estonian tourism warmly welcome all Finns to visit us and find new sources of inspiration in Estonia”, says Margus Sameli, director of the Estonian Tourist Board (Visit Estonia).

The winner of the first-ever Sustainable Travel Competition was Visit Saaremaa from Estonia. 

Matka Workshop Day brought travel professionals together

Matka Workshop Day, an event targeting travel professionals, held in conjunction with the Matka Nordic Travel Fair, continued to grow compared to previous years. Matka Workshop Day is the most significant buying and selling event for travel services in the Nordic countries. The one-day event on 15 January attracted a total of 252 sellers and 290 buyers from 45 countries at pre-arranged appointments.