During the webinar, participants, consisting of SME tourism companies within the project area, learned about the latest trends in the DACH (German, Austrian, Swiss) travel markets. The speaker, Jan Badur from Nordic Marketing, is a well-known expert and consultant in this field.
Badur explained that Scandinavia has recently overtaken Turkey in popularity. A new holiday trend, known as “coolcation”, has emerged, where people seek to avoid the heat in the south by traveling to the north instead.
“People spend more money on travel now than ever before, but they travel less, taking 2–3 trips per year”, Badur explained.
Travellers to the north are experienced and willing to pay for quality and unique experiences that the region has to offer. Therefore, it’s crucial for local businesses to communicate their offerings and unique selling points in advance.
“Nature is the number one reason why people travel to the north”, Badur emphasised.
According to a tour operator questionnaire conducted by Nordic Marketing, Germans often book ready-made travel packages in advance, and car roundtrips remain very popular. The questionnaire results show that hiking is the most popular activity among Germans in the summer, while in winter, they prefer husky safaris and viewing the northern lights. In summer, Germans like to travel around and see many places, but in winter, they usually stay in one location.
Germans most often travel in February and March, as well as during the summer season, especially in August. Hotels remain the top accommodation choice for Germans, but staying one or a few nights in special accommodations, such as glass igloos or tree houses, is also popular.
“Travellers look for authentic, local experiences in the north”, Badur pointed out.
As part of the project’s cooperation with Nordic Marketing, three online events are organised during this autumn with inspiration and information to launch new trips to the region or add to existing products. The first event is a presentation of the destinations within the Bothnian Coastal Route. The second event is a virtual fam trip, where tour operators can get a direct insight into the products along the Bothnian Coastal Route from selected providers. The third event is an online sales workshop where travel industry professionals meet with the Finnish and Swedish companies on the Bothnian Coastal Route. Read more HERE.
Watch the webinar recording HERE.
The Bothnian Coastal Route project, including northern Finnish and Swedish destinations, aims to increase awareness of the coastal route around the Bothnian Bay and over the Kvarken strait as an attractive travel route for both international tourists and locals. Read more about the Bothnian Coastal Route project HERE.
