Current information about Indian tourism

Updated April 202

Finland's position in the market

Boosted by rising economic prosperity and a fast-growing economy, India is set to be a top global source market for leisure travel. India is now the fifth-largest economy, and its population has surpassed China’s to become the largest in the world, at over 1.4 billion people. And the population is young — the median age is 27,6, more than ten years younger than that of most major economies. What's more, consumption of goods and services, including leisure and recreation, is forecast to double by 2030. Adding a strong postpandemic travel recovery, and a growing appetite for international travel, these factors point to India’s significant potential for outbound tourism.

• Racing ahead: Indian wanderlust is taking off
  Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s outbound tourist market was among the fastest-growing markets in Asia. India has already recovered 61 percent of its prepandemic market, with 13 million outbound tourists in 2022.This represents a much quicker recovery than most Asian countries.
  
  
• Indian globetrotters set to soar
  The country’s forecast growth in GDP per capita, accompanied by a growing propensity for international travel, could lead to a wave of Indian travelers setting out to see the world. If India follows China’s outbound travel trajectory (which it could, due to similarity in population size and per capita income trajectory), then Indian tourists could make 80 million to 90 million trips a year by 2040.

The influx of Indian tourists to Finland has now almost surged to pre-pandemic levels. A significant factor contributing to this upswing is the efforts of Visit Finland team and streamlined Schengen visa application process, which currently takes a mere two weeks. Finland is rapidly gaining traction with Indians. A potential game-changer on the horizon is the proposed digitalization of the visa issuance process. This development promises to revolutionize decision-making for visa officials and applicants alike, with reports indicating further reductions in waiting times for Indian travelers.

In a bid to strengthen Indo-Finnish relations, numerous initiatives have been set in motion within the tourism sector by Visit Finland. Notably, Indian tourists have emerged as the most avid applicants for travel to Finland, closely followed by visitors from China and Russia in 2023.

• Amongst Asian countries – highest numbers of visas for Finland were issued for Indians in 2023
• Finland will issue approx. 20,000 visas in 2024 which will be the highest ever visas issued by Finland for Indians
• Visa operations for Indians are running efficiently through Kouvala from 2023
• Overnights 59% growth 2023 vs 2022 (-25% to 2019 levels)
• 97% Growth is overnights to Lapland from India in 2023 vs 2022
• India is number 9 in terms of Revenue contribution for Finland – 115,982K (3/2023- 12/2023)
• Finnair flies daily flights from Delhi all year round and is a key & exclusive supporter of Visit Finland in India
• The market share of Indian overnights in the Nordic countries for winter is highest for Finland (35%) in 2023 & for throughout the year it is 25% (Same as Sweden).

Finland is well known with Indians as the “Happiest country in the World”. As a travel destination, Finland is more popular for its winter related activities and experiences, Northern Lights and being the hometown of Santa Claus. For summer Helsinki Region & Lakeland are gaining popularity with Indians too. India has a very strong potential to become a top source market for Finland.

Finnair flies daily from New Delhi since 2023.

The current accessibility from India is also through all the EU carriers (Lufthansa, KLM, Air France) as well as the Middle eastern carriers like Emirates and Qatar. Turkish Airlines & Air France direct connection to Rovaniemi is also gaining popularity from India market.

Finnair and Qatar Airways also have a codeshare agreement between Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen and Doha.

The flights to Doha are sold and marketed by both Finnair and Qatar Airways as per the schedule below:
7 weekly flights to and from Helsinki
7 weekly flights to and from Stockholm
7 weekly flights to and from Copenhagen

Since India is currently developing and trade focused market for Visit Finland, all our activities have been majorly focused on B2B & B2B2C. Apart from this we have also done some interesting PR campaigns in 2023-2024 with Indian media and influencers/celebrities to position Finland as a desired tourism destination with Indians.

Finland has gained a lot of interest and visibility with Indian Bollywood Celebrities​ in 2023-2024

For Finland, the key Bollywood visibility was gained when leading Indian celebrity couple Virat Kohli & Anuksha Sharma posted about their honeymoon in Finland.

Over the years Visit Finland has collaborated with celebrities like Sonakshi Sinha & Rakulpreet, luxury influencers like Masoom Minnawala, Shivan & Narresh, Sonam Babbani, Rizwan Bachav and Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar to increase the brand visibility for Finland as a travel destination.

Several celebrities like Kubra Sait, Rajkumar Rao & Patralekha, Deepti Bhatnagar, Pooja Batra have also chosen Finland for their holidays.

The climax of Bollywood movie War starring Hrithik Roshan & Tiger Shroff, directed by Siddharth was also filmed in Finnish Lapland.

Consumer trends and behavior

Latest Travel Trends

As per the latest Skyscanner report, some latest data on Indian travellers is as follows:

• 86% of Indian travellers plan to take the same number, if not more, trips abroad in 2024 compared to 2023
• 43% of Indian travellers rate the overall ‘vibe’ of a destination as important when choosing where to go in 2024*
• 26% of Indian travellers say the cost of flights mostly determines their choice of destination
• Food (71%), culture (65%) and weather (65%) are the three biggest factors for Indian travellers when deciding where to go on holiday, with shopping, historical tours and sampling local food coming out as the top cultural activities.
• 63% of Indian travellers have budgeted to spend more on travel in 2024 compared to 2023.
• 37% of Indian travellers would fly short haul to see their favourite artist live.
• 94% of Indian travellers are inspired to take a trip to a destination they’ve seen on the big or small screen, only 62% go on to book.
• 39% of Indian travellers use film and TV as a source of travel inspiration.
• 59% of Indian travellers have booked a destination purely on a specific restaurant they want to visit.
• 37% of Indian travellers plan to upgrade their flight to business or first class in 2024.
• While 64% of travellers globally believe sustainable travel is important, 18% would be reluctant to pay for more sustainable options.

Consumer Behaviour Insights

1. Best-value destinations
Value for money remains a key factor for Indian travellers, with the cost of the flight (26%) and attractions (18%) being the biggest factors determining the destination.

2. Travel vibes
From international gig tripping to television-inspired ‘set-jetting’ and foodie faves, these are the trending travel vibes to look out for in 2024.

• Gig tripping
  2024 will see Indian travellers mixing up their gig plans by heading abroad to see their favourite artists play. 37% of fans say they would fly short haul to hear their favourite tracks live, while 20% would commit to long haul.
• Main character energy
  Setjetting has never been so popular, with travellers finding destination inspiration in their favourite film and TV shows. This travel trend continues to gain momentum as travellers aspire to step into the settings and (shoes) of their beloved TV shows and movie characters.
• Budget bougie foodies
  Food has always been crucial for travel-hungry trippers, with 59% of Indian travellers saying they’ve visited a destination specifically to go to a particular restaurant. Another third would consider doing so. Eating the local cuisine and trying authentic food is the most popular activity for Indian travellers when they’re abroad, with 38% preferring it to anything else.

3. Travel types
In addition to seeking out unique cultural experiences and vibes, travellers are planning trips around their identities. Here are the 3 behaviour-led traveller types that will set the tone for travel in 2024.

• Analogue adventurers
  Gen Z is so over selfies on social. The next generation are favouring older technology to document their trips, rather than picturing and posting from their phones.
• Celebration vacationers
  Taking a trip is a great way to celebrate a special occasion, and it seems Indian holidaymakers concur. As much as 81% of Indian travellers have taken a group trip to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, with a further 15% saying it’s something they’d love to do.
• Luxe-for-less seekers
  Despite cost-of-living concerns, many Indian travellers are up for spending a little more cash for that extra bit of comfort. 2024 will likely see cabin upgrades on the rise, as 37% of Indian travellers look to improve their flight experience with business or first class bookings. Another 44% plan to purchase airport lounge passes to get their holiday off to the best possible start.

4. Looking forward
So what does the future of travel look like? Sustainability and AI will be two of the biggest factors affecting the travel industry in the coming years. AI has already begun to assist with travel planning.

To serve Indian Consumer Finnish travel fraternity should consider the following:

• Have ready made products for each season with dynamic price option and unique experiences wherein activities are listed as individual costs and the agents can customize packages as per their requirements (pick and choose experiences)
• Willingness to work on customized/ bespoke/tailor-made packages as per clients requirement
• Provide options for property buy out in case of groups
• Not to take any offence on negotiations or bargaining as this is the way Indians like to work
• Try to offer small value adds to make the agent feel special
• Consider India a long term market and develop long term partnerships with travel agents

Industry update and distribution channels

Visa Update

Indians have grown in 2023 to become the largest group of visa applicants for Finland followed by Russia and China. Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has invested in visa services. Visa applications are handled in Kouvala since 2023. Estimate for 2024: 20000 visa applications.

Visa appointments 565/week. Groups with less than 20 people in group can be accepted additionaly.

All 6 VACS Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderebad, Kolkata walk-in Tuesdays and Fridays for 10 applicants between 10-11.

Main distribution channels (biggest TO's)

• Travel Agents and Tour Operators- Thomas Cook, SOTC, Kesari Travels, Veena World, Urvi Tours, FCM, Travel Live, Go Everywhere Holidays, Aviana Holidays, Kulin Kumar Holidays
• OTA’s- Make My Trip, Pick Your Trail
• Finnish DMC’s - Safartica, Green Escapes, Jee Travels, Lapland Hotels & Safaris, Luxury Action, Arctic Signature, Tumlare, Eazy Travel, Time Travels etc.
• Indian DMC’s - TKWS, Kuoni Tumlare
• Members of “Travellers Made” & associations like OTOAI , TAAI & TAFI

The incoming agencies and DMC’s play a very integral role as they are ones creating the products which get promoted in the market, hence we intend to work very closely with the Finnish partners. Indians prefer to have one point contact for the entire destination package.

4. Finland travel USP's

Our most relevant USP's in India market are as follows:

Finland Overall:

• Happiness - Live like a Finn
• Healthy & Safe travel is freedom to travel
• Nature - easy access to forest
• Santa Claus - The ambassador of goodwill from Finland

Region Wise most relevant USP's for India:

Lapland

• Santa Claus – The ambassador of goodwill from Finland
• Incredible Light Phenomena all year round
• Experience the Arctic Wilderness
• The World's cleanest air- An invitation to the great outdoors

Lakeland

• Land of thousand lakes
• Have a holiday like the Finns do
• To know Sauna is to know Finland

Helsinki Region

• Urban nature just around the corner
• Design & Architecture offer sights for all senses
• World class events in a World class environment

Coast & Archipelago

• World's largest archipelago

Appended USP's are the key USP's which make Finland exclusive for Indians

• Happiness - Live like a Finn
• Healthy & Safe travel is freedom to travel
• Santa Claus - The ambassador of goodwill from Finland

Our main USP's for Finland listed above are extremely strong and extremely relevant for Indians in these times, wherein people are trying to find true mantra for happiness and health & safety measures will play an integral role in decision making for a destination wherein Finland truly stands out compared to the rest of the Europe. Santa Claus as an ambassador of goodwill, Incredible light phenomena & Arctic Wilderness experiences in Finland are also a key driving force and attraction for all the consumer segments from India including groups, FIT, MICE, Educational Trips, Luxury Travel etc. hence we can truly bank on it to target all product and consumer segments to recoup the market.

An additional key selling point for India market is Unique stays/accommodations offered by Finland

Luxury is the most important theme for India market followed by Education as Finland's Education system is well known in India as one of the best in the World. Outdoors as a theme can also be developed strongly for the young and adventurous Indians (Gen Y & Z) who are changing the overall landscape of holidays and are keen to experience and spend more time in the Outdoors.

Future outlook and upcoming season

Key Target Segments for India are as follows:

Active Hobbyist
Culture Traveller
Lifestyle Traveller
Nature Lover
City Life Enthusiasts

Products will continue as follows:

Culture and Lifestyle
Outdoor & Sports
High End and Luxury Experiences
Nature Experiences
Wellbeing & Sauna
Family Experiences
Food
Citybreak

The upcoming season looks extremely positive for Finland. In Q1 2024 we have surpassed the 2019 Q1 overnights. As India enters an election year, the tourism sector is poised for significant growth in 2024.