Current information about USA tourism

Updated December 2024

Finland's position in the market

Finland is considered as a functioning and safe society, suitable also for families with kids of all ages, and the happiest country in the world. Traditionally Finland has been a summer destination, combined with other Nordic countries but in the last years the popularity of winter has increased and now it is safe to say that Finland interests in the US both as winter and summer destination.

In 2023, US emerged as Finland's fourth-largest source market, experiencing a noteworthy 24% growth vs. the record year of 2019 in overnights (382,700 vs. 309,100). The growth continues in 2024. Overnights during Jan-Sep in 2024 were 337,000 (in 2023 same period 295,300) making US as third-largest source market. USA also ranked as one of the TOP 3 source markets in all digital searches about Finland. The most searched tag words in the US related to Finland were: Saunas, Hotels, Golf (surprisingly) and Cities.

Although the awareness of Finland has been growing well in the US for many reasons, Finland is still behind the other Nordic destinations in awareness and overnights from the US (compared to Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark). Competition is fierce here of US travelers. Finland is not only competing with the other Nordic countries but with the entire Europe.

US PR & Media Results in H1/2024: Of the total 1310 media hits, 94% were published in March and for the most part in local TV channels.

Brand Building Effect was 1,7bn, Visibility Score was 30%, and the average tone was 3 (out of 3). Happiness was the main theme in 97% and global campaign (Helsinki Happiness Hacks) in 2% of the hits. 97% of the US hits were based on press releases.

Besides the multiple happiness themed news pieces on local TV channels, other media coverage highlights of H1/2024 included a segment on Good Morning America featuring the Helsinki Happiness Hacks campaign, as well as Bally Network/Outside TV’s Facing Waves TV show which was filmed in Ruka-Kuusamo and Lapland North regions in 2023.

Consumer trends and behavior

According to Internova’s Consumer Survey about leisure travel in 2025 a strong desire to see the world will propel America’s leisure travelers in 2025 and travel advisors will continue to play a vital role in assisting them.

According to the survey, there was a 22 percent increase in average international trips per traveler in the past 12 months compared with the same period in 2023, a resurgence led by the premium and budget segments. Looking ahead, 25 percent of travelers surveyed expect to take more leisure trips of all types in 2025, a trend that is consistent across age, income and other demographic categories.

The growth in international travel will be a boon for travel advisors as demand for their services increases with consumers planning longer trips, especially long-haul vacations outside the United States and Canada. In fact, 60 percent of respondents said that they would use a travel advisor to book a trip in 2025. Travel advisors are most valued for their destination expertise and the support they provide during unforeseen events. Travelers ages 35 and younger in particular strongly value the expertise of a travel advisor, especially to assist with complex travel situations and to save planning time.

When it comes to destinations, younger travelers are more likely to pick domestic locations, and they are also interested in wellness or adventure travel. Older travelers are more likely to take long-haul trips, along with traditional tours.

More than half of luxury and ultra-luxury travelers expect to use a travel advisor in 2025. They place a premium on the services of a skilled professional who is knowledgeable about vacation destinations and understands their travel preferences. They are also more likely to turn to their travel advisor for inspiration, as well as assistance in vacation planning. In addition to sightseeing, luxury and ultra-luxury travelers place a priority on rest and relaxation.

When it comes to specialty travel, the vast majority of young and luxury travelers - around 60 percent - are interested in activities centered on a theme, such as wellness (spa/massage), culinary (exploring local food cultures, fine dining) and adventure (hiking, scuba diving and cycling). (Source: Insider Travel Report)

In the US sightseeing and visiting many countries during one holiday is still dominating unless the destination can offer something so unique that it is seen worth of a mono destination trip. The Northern Lights product taps to that. We should also create a unique offering around the Midnight Sun experience.

Tour operators are now also considering Finland for their multi-generational family travel- as well as heritage and ancestry travel customers. Finland is also considered as an option for group trips for special events.

About 50% of the travelers in the US book through traditional sales channels such as tour operator and travel advisors. Americans use much more travel advisor's services than consumers in other markets and therefore travel advisors, travel agencies and consortias are important B2B partners. Especially luxury category travels with tailor made itineraries designed by their travel advisor.

Other half of the travelers use OTA's and other digital booking platforms to book their trips. Many North American travelers use different online platforms to search information and to book travel. Some of the relevant online booking platforms in the US are Expedia Group platforms, Priceline, Kiwi.com and Hopper.

American travelers expect good service in the destination. Good communication in general is very important with American travelers and it is always better to overcommunicate than communicate too little.

Industry update and distribution channels

More flights from 4 US cities - During the summer season 2025, Finnair will expand its reach by offering daily flights to Chicago and increasing its Dallas service to 11 times weekly, adding five more flights than in summer 2024. The airline will also add two extra weekly flights to both Seattle and Los Angeles routes.

Several major US tour operators are already selling Finland only winter packages, but we do not yet have many Finland only packages for summer- and autumn season. However, there is now interest in adding also Finland summer/autumn mono destination tours by some tour operators and Visit Finland is actively working on promoting summer season in all four regions.

Visit Finland aims to support the North American tour operators the best we can with our resources in case they need advise how to design new tours including Finland.

A joint Reboot Nordic Tourism - project together with Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and Faroe Islands continued in 2024. The activities included marketing and sales promotion as well as PR activities to promote the whole Nordics region in the US.

Visit Finland is organizing and participating in sales events in North America:

• In April we participated in BoostNordic Roadshow in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York having one2one meetings with more than 90 high-end travel advisors.
• In August we participated in Virtuoso Travel Week – where we had one2one meetings with more than 100 luxury travel advisors. During the event Virtuoso announced that sales to Finland had increased by 150% in H1 2024 vs. H1 2023.
• Nordic Roadshow took place in September in San Fransico, Chicago and New York.
• Visit Finland also participated in BoostNordic Roadshow in Southern California where during 5 days we had 4 workshops and 1 agency call.
• USTOA Conference and Marketplace in December.

We also arranged smaller scale events together with Finnair for handpicked travel advisors and tour operators. Additionally, we promoted Finland in virtual events and as panelists in numerous webinars during the year.

Several fam trips to Finland took and is taking place showcasing all the four regions. In April we had 10 top sellers from Travel Edge group in Lapland North and Helsinki. Together with Finnair we brought 10 tour operators to Midnight Sun Workshop.

Visit Finland continues to execute and assist Finnish DMOs implementing joint promotional campaigns with selected operators.

DMC's and incoming agencies continue to be vital in the US market as most tour operators do not contract directly with suppliers in Finland.

Finland travel USP's

The northern lights, nature, happiness, saunas and lakes interest in the US. As sauna and Finnish sauna culture is the only USP that we can clearly take ownership of, we should continue incorporating sauna in our messaging, designed so that it appeals to the Americans.

None of the USP's alone drive decision making when American traveler is making a decision to travel to Finland, but they all complement each others. Finnish Lapland is seen as a great northern lights destination option compared to Alaska, Iceland and Norway. It is also important to remember to emphasize the extraordinary accommodation options and the great infrastructure Finland has, especially in the north compared with other arctic areas.

Experiencing nature, the lakes, archipelago and midnight sun or white nights and learning about the local culture and history interest when considering travel to Finland in the summer. Finland's ranking as the happiest country has also greatly increased the awareness of Finland in the US in all traveler segments. Currently high end travelers are our focus segment, because there is a lot of potential still, but also mid and low budget travel can be expected to grow.

Finland is seen as a sustainable travel destination by those who know the country, but we still have a lot of work to promote Finland in the US. More and more travelers now are interested in visiting destinations and buying from businesses that operate sustainably. American travelers want to support local businesses.

It is also good to remember, that Finland is a great stopover destination when traveling with Finnair from the US to Europe via Helsinki.

Future outlook and upcoming season

Single Successful Female Travels: This category seems to be one of the biggest forces to come. A recent survey by Altrata explains this phenomenon, revealing that women now comprise approximately 11 percent of global ultra-high-net-worth individuals, signaling a significant surge from the 8 percent reported less than a decade ago. Despite this, we still see single woman spending about 35 percent less than single men of the same age and wealth bracket. Interestingly, while Millennial ladies are a lot less conservative, as Altrata found a remarkable 81 percent of Millennial and Gen Z are wealthy, single women spend more freely, with more optimistic anticipation of wealth growth. We have seen a 41 percent growth in this market over the past five years, with many single ladies traveling in small packs of 3-5 women ready to conquer the world.

Virtuoso is also announcing that Solo female travel, dubbed as "Wander Women" by Virtuoso and Globetrender, has also seen significant growth, with women making up 71 percent of solo travelers. Additionally, as Gen Z begins having children in 2025, the industry for the first time will see seven generations traveling simultaneously. Legacy travel, or the act of bringing all these generations together to celebrate milestones or seek reconnection, is becoming increasingly popular. Virtuoso shared that when surveyed, 32 percent of Gen Zs were planning to travel with children over the next year, with 42 percent of them planning to do so under the guidance of a travel advisor.

Travel to off-the-beaten-path destinations and at off-peak times is growing in popularity, aligning with the trend toward more responsible and sustainable travel as a response to overtourism. Sales for Virtuoso's sustainable partners hit an impressive $700 million in 2023. Virtuoso also noted that advisors play a crucial role in educating clients about sustainable travel while fulfilling their travel aspirations.

In the past two winter seasons the popularity of the “traditional” Lapland+Helsinki winter packages has not diminished, on the contrary. The tour operators are reporting of the continuity of growing sales. The popularity of winter packages also leads to the fact that a wider number of tour operators who yet haven’t offered Finland have included Finland in their production.

Besides winter season in Lapland, also autumn packages are now available. For ex. Backroads, an adventure tour operator, is now having two different hiking “Fall Colors beyond the Arctic Circle” packages in Lapland. Autumn has great potential, specially since Norther Lights is one of the major USPs, for those who want to experience the Aurora but not the deep winter conditions.

Helsinki and Southern Finland during summer season also interests. Helsinki - Lakeland - Archipelago self-drive tours could be potential in the future as well as Helsinki - Lakeland and Helsinki - Archipelago slow travel packages.

Further developed sauna + wellbeing packages could entice the American high-end travelers