The popularity of Finland national parks Increasing 

Finland’s most popular national parks in January–July were Pallas-Yllästunturi, Urho Kekkonen National Park, Nuuksio, Koli and Pyhä-Luosto. Visitor satisfaction during visits to the national park is high.  Visitor numbers at national parks have levelled out after a peak in demand, but destinations continued to have more visitors than before the pandemic. A total of 2.2 million visits were made to national parks in the period between January and July (1 January–31 July 2022). Growth in comparison to 2019 – the pre-pandemic period – was 11 per cent, and the long-term increase continued even though the number of visits decreased by 12 per cent from last year. 
“The number of visitors to national parks illustrates a long-term growth trend. However, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has also increased uncertainty regarding nature tourism. Inflation and fuel prices have had a significant impact this summer by limiting domestic tourism and boating, After the pandemic, the increased number of events being held in Finland and the reopening of international travel have influenced people’s time use during the summer holidays,” says Director of Parks & Wildlife Finland Henrik Jansson from Metsähallitus. Parks & Wildlife Finland maintains and develops Finnish national parks.  

Northern-Lights-in-Pallas-nationalpark-first-snow-winter-is-coming-in-Lapland-Photo-Luisa-SchaffnerStill waiting for international tourism to recover in Finland

International tourists have returned to Finland, but larger groups are still missing. The war had a strong impact on tourism: a lot of tourists from Asia or Russia used to visit national parks, especially in Lapland and Eastern Finland.  



“After a long break, travel from other countries to Finland started up again during the spring. However, the schedules for reopening have varied in different markets. The majority – more than 80% – of tourists arriving from outside Finland come from Europe. The most important markets are Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. However, there are still significantly fewer international overnight stays (-36%) than in 2019 before the pandemic. We’ll have to wait another year, perhaps even two, for tourism to return to normal, “says Senior Director Kristiina Hietasaari from Visit Finland.

People appreciate – and need – nature experiences

The pandemic and global crises have demonstrated the importance of national parks and other nature destinations in terms of health and well-being.  “Visitors are satisfied with their national park visits. The reasons for this are the nature, landscapes, peace, and company of friends. Visitors are also pleased with the results of extensive repairs to hiking services, such as trails and campsites. Activity preferences have become increasingly diverse, and we try to respond to these in cooperation with tourism entrepreneurs as much as possible,” says Henrik Jansson.

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