Foreign tourist inflow slides by 95% in April

Due to the market situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, overnights spent by tourists in Finland decreased dramatically by 88.4 percent in April, reported news agency Xinhua, quoting a press release issued by Statistics Finland on Thursday.

Finnish accommodation establishments recorded a total of 180,000 overnight stays in April, which decreased by 88.4 percent. Overnight stays by resident tourists declined by 86.4 percent, and those by foreign tourists dropped by 95.2 percent, compared to the figures in April 2019.

Tourism in Lapland, one of the famous tourist destinations in Finland, collapsed almost completely due to anti-epidemic restrictions. Ski resorts in Lapland were closed in April.

The registered overnight stays in Lapland's accommodation establishments decreased by 92.3 percent in April on a year-on-year basis. Overnight stays by foreign tourists in Lapland, in particular, declined by 99 percent from April 2019.

From January to April 2020, the total number of nights spent by tourists in Finland declined by 30 percent.

National broadcaster Yle reported on Thursday that Finnish tourism destinations are turning to virtual tourism.

The first group of virtual tourists from Japan are set to visit the Savonlinna region, eastern Finland, in June. They will enjoy travel experiences via a video link and livestream, and watch 360-degree videos and photographs from their homes.

According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, as of Thursday afternoon, Finland has confirmed a total of 6,743 COVID-19 infections, including 51 new cases. The death toll reached 313, with no death reported in the past 24 hours. According to a preliminary estimate, at least 5,500 people have recovered from the disease.