By IANS
New Delhi : Finland is wooing hi-end Indian travellers for a winter experience “that rejuvenates the mind and body”, includes a meeting with Santa Claus and a visit to the world’s northernmost zoo in the Arctic Circle.
“Not only does the winter snow in Finland provide an awe-inspiring backdrop for outdoor activities, it is also the very essence that rejuvenates the body and mind,” Sven Hansen, regional director of the Finnish Tourist Board (FTB), explained.
He was addressing a press conference here Tuesday to announce a tie-up between FTB and leading Indian tour operator Raj Travel World to promote winter tourism in Finland.
Nordic service providers Lapland Safaris, Lapland Marketing Ltd, LH Sky Hotel and Rovaneimi Tourism & Marketing Ltd have also come on board for the venture, which has Finnair as its official carrier.
“The tourist flow from India increased 45 percent each month from March this year. In June, it rose by 70 percent. All this is in summer and we felt it is time to expose Indians to Finland in winter,” Hansen said.
“We are targeting high net-worth travellers who are looking for a destination with a difference. What we will be offering them is a crisp, nice and memorable vacation,” said Raj Travel chairman and managing director Lalit Sheth. The tours would begin in December and run till March, he added.
Kicking off with a traditional Finnish welcome in the municipality of Kangasniemi, some 250 km north of capital Helsinki, the eight day/seven night extravaganza would take the tourists to the Santa Claus Village at Rovaneimi to shop at a traditional market and despatch a letter from the Santa Claus Main Post Office.
“I promise every traveller a personal photograph with Santa Claus and a gift from him,” Sheth said.
Next on the cards is an appointment with the huskies to feed the animals, get mesmerised by their antics and a 15-minute sledge ride in the forest.
This will be followed by a visit to the Ranua Wildlife Park, the world’s northernmost zoo located some 80 km from Rovaneimi, to view Arctic animals in their natural habitat.
Travellers will then board the icebreaker Sampo for a cruise over the frozen Gulf of Bothnia and a visit to an ice-sculpted hotel named SnowCastle that maintains a temperature of minus five degrees Celsius.
The final two days of the tour are devoted to skiing in the wilderness – after a basic instructional session – and taking in the sights and sounds of Helsinki.
Sheth said that apart from individuals, his company was also eyeing MNCs that are increasingly offering holiday packages as incentives to high-performers.
“We’ll be happy if we can send 300 travellers in the first season and gradually ramp this up as we go along,” he added.