Helsinki Presents at IMEX America 2024: Expanded Connections, Top-Tier Hotels and Cultural Offerings Lure US Guests
Enjoying dinner under the sky. Photo: Svante Gullichsen, Helsinki Partners
Helsinki will have a strong presence at the IMEX America trade show on October 8-10, 2024, where you will have the opportunity to meet representatives from Helsinki Partners, Finnair, Elämys DMC, Strawberry and Sokos Hotels. The Finnish capital’s diverse cultural life and new, high-quality hotels make the city an even more attractive destination for American guests, who were at the top of the list of international tourists staying in Helsinki in 2024.
In recent years, Finnair has expanded its direct flight connections from the United States to Helsinki, which has made traveling to the Finnish capital significantly easier. Finnair now offers connections from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, Boston, Las Vegas, San Diego, Orlando and Miami to Helsinki. According to statistics, the number of tourists arriving from the United States has increased by more than 20% compared to the previous year, and they are now at the top of the list for accommodation in Helsinki.
Excellent flight connections and significantly increased hotel capacity further enhance Helsinki's appeal as a travel destination, but also as an event and congress city. The Finnish capital is famous for functionality; Helsinki has an international atmosphere, and it is easy to communicate in English as well. According to the latest report published in July 2024 by the Union of International Associations (UIA), Finland is indeed the most popular congress destination in the Nordic countries and in 16th place in an international comparison. Helsinki also ranked 16th in the comparison of congress cities. The study includes 165 countries and 1251 cities.
Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 is a new wooden landmark building in the heart of Helsinki. Photo: Aleksi Poutanen, Sokos Hotels.
New gems in Helsinki’s hotel offerings
Several new hotels have opened in Helsinki in recent years, and room capacity has grown by almost a thousand since last year. In December 2023, the luxury hotel Maria, which offers personalized services, opened, followed in the spring of 2024 by HOBO Helsinki, which believes in a relaxed sense of community, and Helsinki's first hotel in the NH hotel chain, Grand Hansa, which has invested not only in accommodation comfort, but also in an extensive wellness area and restaurant offering. In addition, the hotels AX, Mestari and the unique Katajanokka hotel, built in an old prison, joined the Strawberry chain.
In August, the Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 opened in the new, fully wooden Katajanokka Laituri building in Katajanokka, Helsinki. Pier 4 is an upper-upscale hotel that offers sustainable luxury, Finnish design, meeting facilities and breathtaking sea views from full-length windows. Drawing inspiration from the forest, the beautiful building is designed by famous Finnish architect group Anttinen Oiva Arkkitehdit. The building is made entirely from timber using pioneering architectural methods, and it acts as carbon storage.
Installation by the Keiken Collective at the Helsinki Biennial 2023 on the island of Vallisaari. Photo: Perttu Saksa, HAM/Helsinki Biennial
Top cultural offerings in 2025
Next year will start in Helsinki with a series of Strauss concerts in the newly renovated Finlandia Hall designed by legendary Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. After years of renovation, the landmark building now offers even more modern and technically functional facilities for organizing events and meetings. New to the building will be a cafe and a large terrace opening onto the verdant Töölönlahti bay, an atmospheric bistro for dinners, and two apartments where you can stay. In June 2025, a completely new exhibition space will also open presenting the work of Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto.
Guests arriving in Helsinki in the summer can dive into contemporary art at the Helsinki Biennial, “Europe's coolest new arts festival” according to TimeOut magazine. The art can be admired on the green island of Vallisaari, at the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) and for the first time in the heart of the city center in Esplanade Park. The Helsinki Biennial runs from June 8 to September 21, 2025.
Next year, Finnish art can also be admired in the USA, when the masterpieces painted by Helene Schjerfbeck will be exhibited at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), stimulating new international interest in Finland and its cultural history.
With Finnair’s new flights, the opening of Helsinki’s latest luxury hotels, and the wide range of cultural offerings, from art to culinary experiences, there has never been a better time to visit this dynamic city. Whether you’re traveling for work or leisure, Helsinki has everything you need for an unforgettable experience. Read more online at MyHelsinki.fi!
More information:
Leena Karppinen
Senior Manager, PR & Communications
Helsinki Partners
leena.karppinen@helsinkipartners.com
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