60 seconds with... Visit Finland

Teemu Ahola, director of international operations at Visit Finland, talks advice and ambitions.

Q. How important is the UK market to Finland?

The UK has been a crucially important market for us, especially for Christmas and Lapland-related travel. We see a peak at this time of year and accessibility [airlift] is solid – we have great direct flights. We see a decline from UK travellers in the spring months.

Q. What are your ambitions as a tourist board?

Our main aim is to have year-round travel and we want to push the shoulder seasons. Southern Finland is our lakeland region, where we have high-end villas and cottages with saunas. Lake Saimaa is the biggest in the country and we are starting to see more international travellers coming here. Helsinki is another draw, with fantastic architecture and an impressive culinary offering. We also recommend the archipelago coastal region, which is wonderful in summer.

Q. What is your advice to visitors who want to see the northern lights?

Many believe the northern lights are visible only in winter, but you can see them as early as August, especially in northern Finland. Once midsummer has passed you have every chance of seeing them. The northern lights show on 200 nights a year on average in Finland, even at the end of April.

Q. How are you working with the trade to push year-round travel?

We’ve invested in lots of fam trips, including trips to Lapland in the summer to show how beautiful it is then. We also hosted a Luxury Forum in the UK to give agents and operators the chance to meet some of our Finnish suppliers, which included new accommodation options and some established DMCs.