Tourism is an important industry in the Nordics. It makes a large and growing contribution to the economy. But for too long Finland has lagged behind, overlooked by overseas travellers. Despite the beauty of its land and lakes and the friendliness of its people, it has been overshadowed and outspent by its neighbours, with Sweden spending twice as much on marketing and Norway four times. But Finnish government tourism organisation Visit Finland was on a mission to make a difference.
Many tourists think they know what they want from the Nordics. Fjords. Mountains. Midnight sun. Picturesque fishermen’s cottages. Northern Lights. Hygge. In fact, all the things Norway and Sweden have been advertising for years. For Visit Finland, the creative challenge was how to appeal to the kinds of tourists who were attracted to all of these things, and yet to say something surprising and different enough about Finland to really stand out – despite being heavily outspent.