Finland is more than just ice and snow

Finland is one of the most unassuming travel destinations on the tourism map today. The home of Santa Claus, the midnight sun, Lordi and wife carrying is a place that is more than just ice and snow. And it seems that the world is slowly discovering the wonders that the country as to offer. This is why the Finnish Tourist Board held a seminar for Australian media to educate the travel trade of the wonderful things that continue to bring travellers up to the funny little country up north.

According to travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, Finland is one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2007. And why not? There are so many things to see and do in Finland, but what most people know about Finland is the ice and the snow and the Christmas time, and of course, that is one of the things that should be experienced in any lifetime. Traipsing around the old and new Finnish capitals – Helsinki and Turku – during wintertime means exploring the many markets that take over the streets, the Christmas decorations that turn the cities into a Christmas village and, quite simply, paying a visit to Santa Claus.
As well as this, wintertime in Finland brings adventure sports such as skiing, snowboarding, husky safaris, icebreaker safaris that will satisfy and thrill seeker. For those who prefer to admire the beauty of the land, there is much to see here. Finland is a place of some of the most stunning sea and water views, but to really experience what really needs to be experienced in a Finnish winter, visitors need to look to the skies. The Aurora Borealis adds a green tinge to the Nordic skies during the cold months of the year and Finland is one of the only places in the world where you can see them.

While Finland is commonly associated with snow and ice, it may come as a surprise to note that many tourists head to Finland during their summer months. This means that visitors to the country will truly experience the land of the midnight sun. This time of the year usually plays host to many of the fun and somewhat odd events and festivals that are run in the country.

The world-famous wife carrying competition, mobile phone championship, the sauna championship and the air guitar championships are just some of the crazy events that draw international visitors to the country during the summer months.

But while this is a yearly event, what should bring even more travellers to the region in 2007 will be the fact that the year will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. This will see a number of events and special tours run throughout the country in his honour.

All this will be easy to see with airlines Finnair and SAS regularly operating flights to the country as well as a great number of operators and hotels such as A La Carte Lapland Oy, Bentours, Saariselkä, Russia and Beyond, Nordic Travel and S Group to take travellers to see the deepest and most wonderful parts of the country.

There is so much more to see in Finland. As Finnish Tourism Board Australian Representative Satu Raunola said: “We want to promote Finland as a cultural destination, as a connecting point between the east and the west, between Russia and the Baltics.” Finland is definitely more than just ice and snow. There is the crazy culture and the beautiful sights and it is exactly this that continues to draw more and more travellers to experience the wonders of this region.

For more information, visit the Finnish Tourist Board’s new Australian website at www.visitfinland.com/au.