Russians on top of Finland's foreign holidaymaker list

The Finnish countryside is becoming increasingly popular with Russian holidaymakers. They now make the largest group of foreign tourists to Finland's resorts, with Germans and Swiss coming second and third, respectively. This is according to Jukka Laulajainen, managing director of the tour operator Lomarengas, arranging cottage holidays in rural Finland. The number of Russians vacationing in Finland has increased by 25 percent, as compared with the year 2001, he says.

Russian vacationers are demanding ones, Laulajainen says. They want their lodgings provided with all kinds of appliances and convenient for recreation facilities (such as pools and Alpine skiing slides). Russian families vacation at Finnish resorts for a little more than a week, on the average. They prefer Finland to other getaways because of its calm, safety, cleanness, and moderate clime, the Lomarengas official explains.