Helsinki uses WeChat to encourage more Chinese tourists to see the real side of Finland
- In June, the Helsinki tourism office launched an ambitious project called MyHelsinki – a digital tourist guide that operates through WeChat
- This comes as more directs flights from China to the Finnish capital arrive this year, and are set to bring record numbers of Chinese tourists
When Xiaolin Fang was choosing where to study after graduating from university in Nanchang, in China’s eastern province of Jiangxi, her uncle had one piece of advice. Go to Helsinki.
His reasoning was simple. The last time he had transited through the Finnish capital’s airport, he had been greeted by signs in Chinese, so he thought his niece would find a warm welcome. And he wasn’t wrong.
Helsinki has worked hard to become attractive to Chinese travellers. In June, its tourist office launched an ambitious project on WeChat with internet giant Tencent. MyHelsinki is a digital service that delivers content from the tourist office’s open database directly to Chinese visitors via WeChat – a Chinese messaging and social media app.
Described as a “mini-program”, MyHelsinki is a personalised guide in a digital format that enables independent travellers to seek out authentic experiences, without the need to follow a flag-waving tour guide. It includes recommendations for sightseeing, route planning services, and an option to buy tickets for public transport with WeChat Pay.
“The number of Chinese visitors travelling overseas is growing rapidly and travel patterns are in real transition. Among those travellers, in-depth travelling has become a trend. With the Helsinki mini-program, a comprehensive and reliable one-stop service, Tencent wants to serve them as well as possible,” explains Zhan Shu, manager of the Tencent Governmental Affairs and Tourism Centre.