Ingredients:
clean nature
Northern Lights
Santa Claus and reindeer
Arctic hills and ski slopes
facilities and services
accessibility
Finavia
Visit Finland
House of Lapland
Travel organisations such as Visit Rovaniemi and Levi Tourist Office, among others
Directions:
Recognise real advantages. Do not copy others – think how the area can be distinguished from the rest. The aces up Lapland’s sleeve, for example, include Santa Claus – who calls this place home – and airports that are located close to popular destinations.
Think about the traveller. With the big picture in mind, consider travellers’ wishes and needs from transportation and guided tours to outdoor and photography gear. Considerable investments have been made in developing Lapland’s airports so that travellers’ first impression would be “I’m so glad to be here!”
Identify key target groups. The British – and also, increasingly, the Chinese – are attracted by Lapland. It is important to tailor services to these groups, acknowledging, for instance, varying language skills and requirements.
Collaborate closely. With joint effort, even small travel destinations can get recognition internationally. When Norwegian launched its new route from London to Rovaniemi, Finavia combined forces with Visit Rovaniemi and Visit Finland.
Highlight the advantages. Define your destination’s unique aspects and communicate these across appropriate channels and through events. Lapland has been promoted in China for years, and recently the work has paid off: Chinese travel booking website Alitrip will bring thousands of travellers to Lapland this winter.
Keep your promises. Expectations are high, especially during one’s vacation. Teamwork and customer service excellence, therefore, are key to delivering what was promised to the traveller when he or she booked the trip. Trustworthiness is the Finns’ strength, and we could emphasise this more.
Continue developing the recipe. Be brave in testing new flavours and combinations: You can create something brand new that travellers will find simply irresistible!
Enjoy the outcome!
Finavia is committed to developing Finland’s air connections and creating travel demand in collaboration with areal operatives. Finland has an encompassing airport network of international top level. Rovaniemi Airport is the most active Northern airport. Its extensive runway repair project in summer 2016 is an example of how Finavia has invested in Lapland’s tourism.
This article is part of Finavia’s annual report 2016. Click here to view the full annual report.
Photos: Finavia and Visit Finland