Last year, Finland issued 790,000 Schengen visas to Russia, which is 18% more than in 2018.
"Finnish missions in Russia issued a total of 790,000 Schengen visas last year. Finland issued 18% more visas than in 2018. Among the Schengen countries Finland is the undisputed leader in the number of visas issued in Russia last year,” the press service of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg reported.
According to the Finnish Ambassador to Moscow, Mikko Hautala, the increase in the number of visas issued was primarily influenced by the strengthening of the ruble and the expansion of the tourist services offered by Finland.
"The strengthening of the ruble last year also affected the growth in the number of tourists. Last year, tourists were also attracted to Finland by new attractions, such as the Amos Rex Museum of Contemporary Art and the Oodi Library, which was voted the best library in the world. In addition, Finland made headlines in Russia, as the UN named Finland the happiest country in the world for the second time in a row last year," he said.
In addition, the department noted that 83% of all visas issued in Russia were issued in St. Petersburg. The number of visas issued in St. Petersburg increased by 19%.
"The vast majority of Russian tourists come from the St. Petersburg region, from where you can get to Finland by car or train in a couple of hours. The results of a survey conducted on our behalf show that even 95% of St. Petersburg residents have a positive attitude towards Finland. People value clean nature and high-quality products. In addition, today tourists know Finland better and travel to cities that are not very close to the border," said Anne Lammila, Consul General of Finland in St. Petersburg.
Source: trn-news.ru
