Doha, Qatar: Ambassador of Finland to Qatar, H E Pekka Voutilainen, extended a warm invitation to Qataris and residents, encouraging them to explore the hidden gem of northern Europe.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Ambassador Voutilainen highlighted Finland’s distinctive allure. Known for its pristine environment, crystal-clear waters, and the freshest air, Finland also boasts the title of the happiest country in the world for six years in a row.
“It’s really a place where you can experience something you have not experienced before, we are a country with high value to sustainability, environment, cleanest water, cleanest air, happiest people in the world. There are a lot of things to do, things to see, we do have four distinctive seasons: winter, summer, spring, fall – each one is different, it’s a big country size-wise.”
According to statista, a German online platform specialised in data gathering and visualisation, Finland is the seventh largest European country with a size of 338,424 km².
The Embassy of Finland in Qatar was among the participants at the recently concluded Hospitality Qatar 2023, held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. It joined several other embassies in highlighting their tourism attractions within the Tourism Destination pavilion section of the event.
Revealing Finland’s best-kept secrets, Ambassador Voutilainen unveiled its rich natural wonders. He said that Finland has an astonishing 200,000 lakes. Moreover, he said that the northern European country is a haven for nature enthusiasts. Lapland, in particular, offers a breathtaking winter spectacle with skiing, husky rides, and snowmobile adventures. During the summer, Finland enjoys comfortable temperatures of 25-30 degrees, providing a cool escape from the scorching Gulf heat.
The ambassador also highlighted the convenience of daily direct flights from Qatar to Finland, with the journey taking a little over six hours. Finnair offers three daily flights to various destinations in Northern Europe, facilitating a seamless transition to Europe’s best-kept secret.
The envoy is determined to raise awareness about Finland’s remarkable offerings and aims to boost tourism from Qatar. While exact figures regarding the number of Qatari visitors to Finland were not disclosed, Finland already attracts tens of thousands of visitors from neighbouring countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
According to the most recent statista data, there were approximately 11.5 million international visitor arrivals in all lodging establishments in Finland.
“We have daily direct flights to Finland; it is about a little over six hours away. We want people to discover Finland if they haven’t been there, it’s the best-kept secret in Europe,” Ambassador Voutilainen explained. Finnair flies from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha.
