Current information about French tourism

Updated April 2024

Finland's position in the market

Finland is known as a winter travel destination in France. Especially Finnish Lapland has a strong image and position, and there is demand for the whole winter season from December until March/April.

Finland as a summer destination is less known, but there is potential, especially among families and outdoor travellers. Promotion and marketing activities are important to push Finland’s summer image and product development together with tour operators is needed. For the summer holidays, the French are looking for nature destinations with outdoor and cultural activities. Competition is harder concerning summer season as French are travelling a lot inside France during the summer and Norway has a strong position and image as a Nordic summer destination.

Finland’s image as a sustainable and green nature destination is quite good and we can offer products which people are looking for at the moment. As the summer weather in Southern Europe is getting warmer and warmer, French travellers are also looking for cooler summer destinations.

Our competitors in France are Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and Canada but also French Alpes in the winter. Canada has similar offering than Finland and is attracting French travellers all year around. Canada is very active in communication and marketing in France and has even strengthen their position and activities during last years. Norway has a strong position as a summer destination and is the leading Nordic country for summer holidays from France. Norway has also managed to reinforce their winter image during the last years. Sweden is active in B2C communication and marketing and is attracting French especially for Stockholm region. Lately also Swedish Lapland has got visibility and growing demand. Iceland is doing active sales and promotion work in France and is attracting French travellers all year around.

Accessibility from Paris is quite good. Air France has daily flights from Paris to Helsinki and during the winter season 1-3 flights per week to Rovaniemi and Kittilä. Finnair has many daily flights from Paris and twice a week flights from Nice (daily flights during the summer season). Transavia has winter connections from Paris to Rovaniemi and Ivalo. Ryanair is also flying from Paris to Helsinki all year around and Norwegian has their connection from Nice to Helsinki from March to October. In addition to regular flights, there are many charter flights during the winter season from France to Lapland.

Finland has been quite visible in the French media lately because of the geopolitical situation, but also because of the Happiness report’s results. Visit Finland’s PR work is actively going on and many PR trips are planned for the coming summer and autumn season. In social media Finland’s visibility as travel destination is not very strong in France. The competition is tough, and many destinations are active in all the social media channels and in French language, to get visibility among French travellers.

Consumer trends and behavior

The French are travelling a lot in France but since the pandemic, the willingness to travel abroad has grown every year. European destinations are popular, but also long-haul destinations are getting back to pre-covid situation. Nevertheless, as the prices of the long-haul flight tickets are quite expensive, recovery has been slower than for the European destinations. Nature and outdoor activities are popular, but French are also interested in culture and local lifestyle. Safety of the destination is still one of the main criteria as is also the costs and price level of the destination. Inflation is impacting choices, but French consumers are willing to save money for example from groceries and cloth shopping instead of saving from their travel budgets. Finland has a good image as a nature destination where you can have room to roam and clean air and nature.

French consumers/travellers are looking for inspiration and information in many different online channels and in social media, but traditional travel agencies and tour operators have still a strong role in purchasing phase as they can have good insurances and guarantees. In a case of a problem, travellers trust that it will be a lot easier with traditional operators, and unsure geopolitical situation has reinforced this even more.

Concerning Finland, most of the French travellers are coming through tour operators, especially in the winter season. During the summer season, people are more confident to book directly. With Air France’s direct flights (to Helsinki, Rovaniemi and Kittilä) there are now also more French FIT travellers booking directly. French are using also quite much different OTA channels and renting platforms (e.g. Airbnb).

Pandemic and unsure geopolitical situation changed the direction back to the traditional channels. Different guarantees and insurances have become an important issue and flexibility is demanded. Tour operators and agencies have developed their online channels and physical agencies have less role than before. Nevertheless, the French are still demanding personal services and tailor-made products, even if the communication is done online or via phone.

French travellers coming to Finland are looking for nature holidays and outdoor activities. They appreciate good service and are ready to pay for it. It is important that services are available and especially during the main seasons (also in August). Food is also an important part of the holiday experience and especially when travelling abroad French want to taste local specialities. Since few years, experiences and learning during travelling are becoming important part of the holiday and people want to meet the locals and experience live like a local activities. French like out of a common experiences and authentic accommodation. Classical chain hotels are less demanded when travelling in Finland.

Industry update and distribution channels

Recovery has been good in the French travel market and French travellers’ registered overnights in Finland are over pre-covid level. Accessibility is good from France, but during the high seasons the flight prices for Finland are high compared to our main competitor destinations (Sweden, Norway). During winter season, there are difficulties with available accommodation options in Lapland and many tour operators must limit their sales because of this. The demand is growing for the summer season, and new products are developed and launched. Nevertheless, promotion is needed as Finland’s summer image is still not so well known.

Main tour operators for Finland are Kuoni-Scanditours, Timetours/ La Francaise de circuits, Vivatours, Karavel, NG travel, 66 Nord, Mondial Tourisme, Salaun Holidays/Nordiska, Scandinavia/Hutissen, Comptoir des Pays Scandinaves and Voyageurs du monde. There are also many smaller, and specialized operators, selling actively Finland.

Finland is attracting different target groups from France, but the main ones can be considered Nature lover, Lifestyle traveler and Active Hobbyist. There are tour operators specialising in one specific target group, especially concerning Active Hobbyists. It is a target group looking for active outdoor holidays, and operators as Allibert Trekking, Nomade Aventure and Grand Nord Grand Large have many products in Finland for this target group. Concerning Nature lovers and Lifestyle travelers most of the tour operators are serving these two target groups.

Role of the incoming agencies is important in the French market and French operators are looking for local, Finland based operators. They want to work with local agencies who can find great locations and addresses in Finland and for the different seasons. They also need French speaking guiding services. Lack of suitable DMC operators is often a problem when creating new packages outside of Lapland.

Accessibility from France is good and even better than in pre-Covid period. Air France is operating daily Paris-Helsinki flights and during winter season Paris-Rovaniemi (3-5 per week) and Paris-Kittilä routes (1 per week). Air France’s flights are connecting well with other destinations in France (via Paris) and allow better accessibility outside of Paris. Ryanair is continuing to fly from Paris (Beauvais) to Helsinki and attracting younger target group to discover Finland. Finnair has 4 daily flights from Paris to Helsinki and 2 weekly flights from Nice (every day during the summer season). During the summer season, Norwegian has flights from Nice to Helsinki.

Finland travel USP's

Most relevant Finland’s USP’s in France are Finnish Happiness – Live like a Finn, Easy access to forests - Reconnect with Nature and Healthy and safe travel. French travellers coming to Finland are looking for outdoors activities with room to roam and clean air to breath. They want to experience Nordic nature and wilderness, including different light phenomena. Culture is also important, especially local cultural aspects and live like-a-local experiences, not forgetting the importance of local culinary experiences.

Finland has got a strong image as a happy country, and it can be used to differentiate us from other Nordic countries. Finnish Lapland has also stronger position than the competitors and it is better known and more demanded.

Outdoors is a strong theme for Finland in France and most of the travellers are coming for outdoor and nature activities. They do want to have also cultural experiences but are combining those with nature activities during their stay. Luxury theme is also getting stronger, and knowledge of Finland’s luxury and high-end offering is better than before. Finnish lifestyle is also getting more and more interest in France as the Happiness theme is popping up every year in French media with the Happiness Report. French travelling to Finland are interested to get to know also how Finns live and how the society works.

Concerning sustainability, France was late with sustainable aspect of travelling, but travellers are now more and more aware of the impact of tourism. Finland is seen as a sustainable destination and expectations are quite high. Nevertheless, with high inflation, travellers are not always ready to pay much more for the sustainable options.

Future outlook and upcoming season

Main trends in France for the coming summer season are new discoveries/learning during holidays and sustainable travel/travelling by train. French are looking for relaxing nature holidays but also cultural destinations and places to visit. European destinations are popular, but also long-haul destinations are also more and more demanded. Even if there is a strong need and willingness to travel, French travellers are careful with their budgets. Inflation has influenced the budgets available, and travellers are looking for offers and special prices.

Coming summer season looks quite good, but Finland is still suffering from the lack of summer image compared to its competitors. Booking situation is about at the same level than last year. Accessibility is good and there are good connections from Paris to Helsinki and from Nice to Helsinki during the summer season. As there are different carriers flying to Finland, there are also more options and for different target groups. For example, Ryanair connection is bringing us younger target groups and more FIT travelers are booking via Air France. Olympic games are influencing travelling especially in July, as French living in Paris region are worried about public transportation and situation at the airports. This might affect (postpone) travel bookings for this summer season.

Concerning new production, some tour operators are launching new products for this summer season. There are new high-end products for the Lakeland region and also Lakeland fly & Drive tours. Outdoors and hiking packages in Lapland are also in specialised tour operators’ catalogue for this summer.

More marketing efforts are needed to push summer (and shoulder) season products and cooperation with tour operators is necessary. For this summer season, Visit Finland is implementing joint promotion campaigns together with some tour operators to launch and push their summer products.

There is a lot of potential in the French market also during summer and shoulder seasons, but more work is needed to reinforce Finland’s image as a summer destination (what to do in Finland is summer, which cities to visit, what activities to do etc.).