Helsinki uses WeChat to encourage more Chinese tourists to see the real side of Finland
- In June, the Helsinki tourism office launched an ambitious project called MyHelsinki – a digital tourist guide that operates through WeChat
- This comes as more directs flights from China to the Finnish capital arrive this year, and are set to bring record numbers of Chinese tourists
When Xiaolin Fang was choosing where to study after graduating from university in Nanchang, in China’s eastern province of Jiangxi, her uncle had one piece of advice. Go to Helsinki.
His reasoning was simple. The last time he had transited through the Finnish capital’s airport, he had been greeted by signs in Chinese, so he thought his niece would find a warm welcome. And he wasn’t wrong.
Helsinki has worked hard to become attractive to Chinese travellers. In June, its tourist office launched an ambitious project on WeChat with internet giant Tencent. MyHelsinki is a digital service that delivers content from the tourist office’s open database directly to Chinese visitors via WeChat – a Chinese messaging and social media app.
Described as a “mini-program”, MyHelsinki is a personalised guide in a digital format that enables independent travellers to seek out authentic experiences, without the need to follow a flag-waving tour guide. It includes recommendations for sightseeing, route planning services, and an option to buy tickets for public transport with WeChat Pay.
“The number of Chinese visitors travelling overseas is growing rapidly and travel patterns are in real transition. Among those travellers, in-depth travelling has become a trend. With the Helsinki mini-program, a comprehensive and reliable one-stop service, Tencent wants to serve them as well as possible,” explains Zhan Shu, manager of the Tencent Governmental Affairs and Tourism Centre.
Helsinki was one of the first Nordic cities to provide a tourism website in Chinese, says Kaari Artemjeff, marketing manager of Helsinki Marketing. Now MyHelsinki marks the next step towards making the city and the surrounding nature more accessible to Chinese travellers.
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“We decided to work with Tencent to create a new product that would find tech-savvy Chinese where they spend most of their time, WeChat. The MyHelsinki mini-program means Chinese travellers can live like a local while they’re here,” she says.
Finnair, Finland’s national carrier, was the first Western European airline to offer non-stop flights between Europe and China, with the creation of a Helsinki to Beijing route in 1988. Nowadays, the direct route remains the shortest flight between the Chinese capital and any European city.
There are 47 weekly flights from China to Helsinki (there will be 50 in September) run by Finnair, Tibet and Juneyao Airlines. As the number of flights has increased so have the number of visitors. Between 2014 and 2017, the number of tourists staying overnight doubled to 221,000.
After completing her postgraduate qualification in business in Helsinki, Fang decided to make it her home: “I now work at a luxury accessory company that is expanding into China and I have many Chinese friends who work in Helsinki’s tech companies. It’s a popular destination for travel and work, as it’s so easy to get to.”
Helsinki is one of the first European cities to encourage businesses to introduce Alipay and WeChat, Artemjeff says, as the tourism industry strives to meet the needs of the modern Chinese tourist.
In recent years, local travel operators noticed a change in how visitors wanted to experience their city. Chinese tourists increasingly travel independently of tour guides, and are eager to experience the city on their own terms, says Kaija-Riitta Uusitalo, general manager at the Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel, Helsinki.
“Of course, many people come here and then head to Lapland to see Santa. Everyone’s heard of that. But increasingly they’re interested in Helsinki’s relationship with nature. Our city centre is very close to the lakes and forests. That is different from many very large, highly urbanised Chinese cities,” she says.
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While Chinese tourists continue to travel in large groups that aim to hit as many destinations as possible during their whistle-stop tours of Europe, the traditional Nordic itinerary, which covers four countries in less than 15 days, is no longer as attractive to customers, say experts.
“Young travellers are looking for soft, mindful activities. Everything from sauna visits to guided nature excursions,” Artemjeff says.
The MyHelsinki mini-program is intended to meet the demand of visitors who want to explore by themselves. “Visitors are now more interested in meeting local people and learning about the lifestyle,” says Kirsi Mantua-Kommonen from AuroraXplorer.com, who organises visits to the Nordic country for Chinese groups. “They want to experience things rather than just stopping and taking pictures.”
Competition from other Nordic countries offering similar authentic experiences is growing. Better known travel destinations such as Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo all have plans to grow their connection to China. In 2018, Copenhagen launched four new direct flights with Beijing.
However, nimble Finnish travel companies, such as Tallink Silja ferries, are already a few steps ahead. For example, in the summertime, the tour operator hires Chinese-speaking attendants, creates Chinese menus and keeps customers updated via their official WeChat account.
Fang certainly has no plans to leave any time soon. She regularly travels between Finland and China to introduce her homeland to her Finnish company’s high-end products.
“We recently put on a pop-up shop in Shanghai and sold out of bags,” she says. “My company is learning about how the Chinese work. Everything needs to be on WeChat if you want people to know who you are.”
