UKAMAKI – new growth for tourism from China
About one billion trips abroad are made from China every year, and the tourism from China to Finland is growing rapidly. The Helsinki Airport is one the most important gateways from China to Europe. Many Chinese tourists also arrive to Southern Finland over the eastern border, from Russia. Highway E18 connects Kotka-Hamina and Eastern Uusimaa regions with these tourist flows. Kotka-Hamina and Eastern Uusimaa regions have invested in the development of international tourism, but are still unable to efficiently meet China’s demand for tourism services.
UKAMAKI – new growth for tourism from China project reviews the current situation of tourism from China in the target region and builds a company network focused on the Chinese market from the growth-oriented tourism and service companies of the Kotka-Hamina and Eastern Uusimaa regions, the services of which have adopted the internationalization criteria of Visit Finland.
This project organizes product development coaching for the companies through workshops and company-specific development meetings, depending on the company’s needs. The researched customer profiles of Chinese tourists will be taken into account in the coaching process, and the companies will be taught about the special characteristics of Chinese culture.
Marketing and sales materials in Chinese will be produced for the products developed as a result of this product development. The project reviews the sales channels and partners that are suitable for product sales and marketing. Product sales and marketing are piloted in connection to various sales events to selected Chinese target groups and, for example, visits for media representatives and travel agents will be arranged in order to promote sales.
Ukamaki project utilizes and produces current research data on Chinese tourism. The company cooperation launched through this project will create new opportunities to meet the rising demands of tourism from China, and the number of tourists and tourism income in the area will increase. The product quality of tourism companies will improve to international level and also the companies’ capabilities for international tourism operations will improve.
The project is implemented by Cursor Oy (main implementer) and Posintra Oy (sub-implementer). The main sponsor is European Regional Development Fund ERDF. The project’s implementation period is 1 September 2018–31 December 2020, and its total budget is EUR 493,450.
For more information, contact:
Jenni Juuvinmaa, Project Manager
+ 358 50 393 4736
VARAA AIKA