More and more Russians are visiting Finland for shopping and recreation. In 2012 Russians spent a total of €1.2 billion, YLE writes. This is 39.5 percent more than in 2011, when Russian tourists spent some €860 million during their visits to the neighboring country.
During their trips to Finland, the average Russian tourist buys first and foremost food, such as fish. The next item on the list is adult clothing, followed by kitchenware and other household articles.
In October 2012 the Stockmann department store in Helsinki started accepting roubles as payment. This was meant as a gesture to its Russian customers. “”The pilot project over the last three months has been a success. While payment cards are the most popular option at the cash register, roubles have become the most common foreign currency,” said Hanna Kiminkinen from the Stockmann department store in the Jumbo shopping mall in Vantaa to YLE.
As BarentsObserver reported, health tourism is another growing industry in Finland thanks to an increasing amount of Russian customers. The latest figures show a major increase in Russians seeking Finnish healthcare over the last few years, and experts say that the trend will continue.
