Finland’s tourism strategy for 2025–2028 aims to increase tourism demand
In 2024, the total demand for travel and tourism was EUR 16.6 billion. The strategy aims to increase tourism demand to EUR 20 billion by 2028. A key to achieving this target is doubling the amount of money foreign tourists spend in Finland, compared with 2019. Growth in tourism demand must create value for travel companies, employees in the sector, local communities, tourists and Finnish society.
These are the key points of Finland’s tourism strategy for 2025–2028, which was published on 12 June 2025. The strategy “Achieving more together – sustainable growth and renewal in Finnish tourism” was updated during autumn 2024–spring 2025 to respond to the changes in the operating environment.
“Tourism is a key industry in Finland where the service sector keeps growing. Tourism companies create successful travel experiences, which in turn have a positive impact on Finland’s country brand. We have a lot of untapped potential and many benefits to reap by enhancing our tourism sector and by making Finland better known, despite the current instability in the world,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman.
Four strategic priorities have been identified to enable sustainable growth and renewal in the tourism sector: 1) improving accessibility, 2) managing sustainability, 3) responding to digital change, and 4) ensuring an operating environment that supports competitiveness. Cooperation plays a major role, as the name of the strategy indicates.
Compared with the previous strategy, the new strategy draws attention to social responsibility and the levelling of seasonal variations in demand, alongside economic growth, accessibility, recognition and competence. The role of regional tourism organisations has grown in the implementation of the strategy. Quantitative indicators have been expanded to consider the development of tourism from the economic, environmental and social perspectives better than before.
The High-Level Working Group on Tourism chaired by the Minister of Economic Affairs played a key role in promoting the update. The tourism strategy is a shared vision and commitment of the public sector, tourism business and others involved in the sector to the common objectives and measures of the tourism sector for the coming years. Measures are implemented in collaboration by a wide range of operators.
Tourism is a service sector with great potential for Finland, and a growing export sector. In 2024, tourism exports accounted for 14 per cent of the export income generated by services. The total demand for tourism was EUR 16.6 billion, and its direct share of GDP was 2.4 per cent. Tourism employed 146,600 people. In addition, it has significant regional economic impacts.
Inquiries:
Sanna Kyyrä, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 012