Russian People Visiting Finland Via Southern Finland's Border Crossing

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Russian people visiting Finland via Southern Finland’s border crossing points

Trips via South-East Finland's border crossing 5,2 points 5 4,8 All passsegers except truck drivers 4,4

Truck drivers 0,3 4 0,3 Trips via all border crossing points 3,4 3,2 3,0 0,3 3 2,8

2,3 miljoonaa henkeä 0,3 2,1 0,5 0,2 2 4,2 3,6 3,2

2,2 2,4 1 1,9 2,0 2,0 1,5 1,5 1,6 1,7 1,2 0,9 0,9 1,1 0,6 0,8 0,3 0,5 0 0,2 0,2

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012 Towns to spend time during the trip Tourists arriving in Finland via South Carelia and Southern Finland´s border crossing points 0 200 000 400 000 600 000 800 000 1 000 000 1 200 000 1 400 000 1 600 000 1 800 000

Lappeenranta 1 556 315 Imatra 875 190 Helsinki 1 099 695 Kotka-Hamina 414 764 Kouvola 79 909 Mikkeli 49 467 Savonlinna 38 052 2008* Lahti 64 688 2010* Turku 53 272 2012 Tampere 38 052 Porvoo 38 052 Jyväskylä 22 831

* Vain Kaakkois-Suomen raja-asemat

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Where do the travellers come from? 100% 5% 3% 3% 1% 6% 8% 90% 13% 15% Other 23% 80% 7% 4% 31% 37% Viborg 39% 70% 6%

60% 7% Moscow 8% 50% 5%

% vastanneista % St Petersburg

40% 78% 80% 68% 30% 56% 47% 50% 20%

10%

0% 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

How often do they visit Finland? 100 % 5% 9% 6% 90 % 27% 37% 80 % 30% 46% 30% 35% at least once a week 70 %

60 % 1-4 times a month 31%

50 % 30% more seldom

40 % 29% % vastanneista % 59% 57% 54% 30 % never visited before 33% 22% 20 % 18% 10 % 12% 10% 8% 4% 6% 5% 0 % 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

In case you are planning a trip to Finland and you got to know in beforehand that you should queue up x hours at the border crossing point between Russia and Finland, would it affect your decision to leave?

I would not go Depends on the situation Dont´t know No effect

8 hours 81% 13% 5% 2%

6 hours 76% 6% 15% 3%

4 hours 44% 28% 24% 4%

2 hours 8% 20% 44% 28%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Visa freedom between Russia and Finland? If it existed, would you have travelled as often as during the last year?

Arguments: Border queues getting worse 42 % Too many Russians coming to Finland 28 % Difficulties in traveling 12 % Criminality and immigration increase 12 %

100% Not so often; 4% 90%

80% No; 36%Arguments: Convenience 54 % Faster boprder crossing 18 % 70% No change; 56% Nearness of the two countries and good 60% relations15 % Decrease of costs 12 % 50%

40%

30% Yes; 64%

20% More often 40%

10%

0% Visa needed? Yes or no. Would you have travelled?© TAK Oy Tutkimus- ja Analysointikeskus TAK Oy :: www.takoy.fi 7

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Do you have Internet connection available?

Yes No

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Internet connection 90% 10%

at home 86%

at work 45%

on mobile phone 45%

somewhere else 3%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Have you registered in soscial media services? % of those having access to Internet

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

VK com (Vkontakte) 60%

Facebook 20%

Odnoklassniki 18%

Mail ru 18%

other 1%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Did you look for information on your travel destination before the trip? From where?

100%

90%

80% 51% 70%

60% No 50% Yes 40%

30% 49% 20% 41%

10% 11% 0% 3% Seeking information Internet Magazines, guides, consult friends etc

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Did you look for information on your travel destination before the trip? What kind of information?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Ttraffic and gueueing times 39%

Location of shops and hotels 37%

Hotel services 36%

Assortments and prices of shops 20%

Restaurants and cafes 6% Info on transportation services, train schedules, parking, addresses

Business opprtuninties and partners 1%

Miscellaneus 20%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

What web site did you use to find information on your trip?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Search engines or social media

Hotel reservation sites

Generat tourism sites

News and chat forums related to Finland

Web sites of stores and companys

Web sites of travel agencieses incl bus companmies

Border queing sites

own sites of hotels

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Have you visited any of the following web sites? Have you read any of the following magazines during this trip?

100%

90%

80%

70% 68%

60% EU-Gate Stop in Finland 50% 47% Venäjän Kauppatie visitkouvola fi 40% imatra fi lappeenranta fi 30% gosaimaa com kouvola fi 20% porvoo fi

10%

0% visited any of the regional web sites Read any of the following magazines during the trip

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Evaluate the following factors of your travel destination?

Friedly service

Too many Russians

Border crossing easy and fluent

Nice & easy town

in total (n=515) Security Imatra (n=93) Easy to find parking placein Lappeenranta Eesy to move from place to place while in (n=187) destination

Easy to drive to

Easy reach with public transportation

1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Evaluate the following factors of your travel destination? Competitors!

Friendly service 4,3

Too many Russians 3,9

Border crossing easy and fluent 2,8

Nice and easy town 4,8

Security in total (n=515) 4,9 Porvoo (n=3) Easy parking Kouvola (n=11) 4,3 Easy to move from place to plase while in destination 4,5

Easy to drive to 4,5

Easy reach with public transportation 3,5 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Are some services or shops missing in your destination you wished to locateIs there?

• Dressmann (Lappeenranta) • Geox (Kouvola) • Karen Millen, Stockmann (Lappeenranta) • Stockmann (Lappeenranta) • Shops for children (Lappeenranta) • Clothing for xxx-sized (Imatra) • Train connection to St Prtersburg (Lappeenranta) • Ecco (Lappeenranta) No; • Gerry Webber, Armani (Imatra) • Fishing opportunities (Lappeenranta) 92,5 Yes • World class brands (Lappeenranta) % 7,5 % • Ikea (Lappeenranta) • Zara (Lappeenranta) • Stockmann (Imatra) • More hotels (Imatra) • Better tourist info (Lappeenranta) • More service in Russian (Imatra) • Zara (Imatra)

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Which of the following events are you interested in visiting in your destination?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Christmas markets 29% women; 42% popular music festival or concert 25% air show 24% men; 28% car show 20% international sporsts event 18% ment; 23% riding or horse event 16% event for children, funny things to do 14% pet show 12% housing or summer cottage fair 12% 45-54 year old; 30% ballet or dancing 9% classical music concert or opera 9% Finnish sport event or match 8% circus 7% 55-64 year old; 33% other 0%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

How long did you stay in Finland?

100% 3% 8% 7% 6% 12% 8% 6% 90% 18% 7% 7% 11% 2% 10% 11% over 5 days 6% 11% 11% 80% 7% 10% 12% 15% 13% 70% 15% 14% 17% 4-5 days 60% 13% 18%

50% 3 days 19%

40% % vastanneista % 70% 66% 30% 60% 60% 58% 2days 52% 20% 36%

10% at most 1 day

0% 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2011 2012

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012 Purpose of the trip, percentage of border crossings via Southern Finland’s border crossing points 100% 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 90%

80% 77%

70%

60%

50%

40% 32% 30%

20%

9% 10% 9% 3% 3% 0% Work/business Shopping Holiday Transit Visiting friends other

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Purpose of the trip -via Southern Finland’s border crossing points 3 500 000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

3 000 000

2 500 000

2 000 000

1 500 000

1 000 000

500 000

0 Work/business shopping recreation transit visiting friend other trip

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Purpose of the trip, expressed in -%

100% All Lappeenranta Imatra Kouvola Helsinki Porvoo 90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% work/business trip shopping trip vacation transit visiting friend other

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Money spent on services and shopping – per person

€350

€300

€250

€200 231 € 215 € 212 € 179 € €150 Product purchases €100 Services

€50 73 € 69 € 69 € 72 €

€- 2008 2010 2011 2012

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Russians’ purchases in Finland Tax-free and VAT 0-% purchases

Did you buy tax-free or VAT-0 products? 100 %

90 % 27% 31% 35% 32% 33% 80 % tax free 45% 49% purchases 2% 70 % 2% both 16% 1% 60 % 10% 16% 22% 19% 4% VAT 0-% 50 % 4% 5% 2% 11% 40 % 9% neither nore 30 % 55% 51% 55% 46% 46% 20 % 37% 37%

10 %

0 % 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2011 2012

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012 Russians’ tax free and VAT 0-% purchases in Finland - percentage of money spent on purchases of concrete products

tax free purchases; Purchases VAT 37 % included; 39 %

VAT 0 purchases; 24 %

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Russians´purchases (Million euros)

300,0

250,0

74,3 200,0

Purchases VAT incl. 150,0 Invoice purchases 77,7 Tax free 46,1 100,0 21,2

50,0 93,9 12,7 66,5 15,4 4,1 1,2 20,6 1,3 0,4 0,0 3,8 0,5 Lappeenranta Helsinki Imatra Kouvola Porvoo

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Russians’ purchases in Finland - percentage of tourists buying products

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

groceries 75% cosmetics 14% clothes 54% shoes 18% gold, jewsellery and watchesihin 2% electronics 6% kitchen ware 30% 2006 home textiles 5% 2008 sport textiles and equipment 8% 2010 construction and repair eguipment 3% 2012 spare parts for cars and car… 4% cars and motor cycles 0% furniture 1% other items 2%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Purchase intentions of Russians (arriving) and purchases realized (departed) in Finland - all arrivals except tourists arriving in cars, vans and mini buses

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Alcohol Sweets Groceries Drugs/farmacy… Cosmetics and… Clothes /adults Clothes/Children Toys Shoes Bags/clothing accessories Jewellery and watches arrivals Electonics and house hold… Dishes and other house hold… House textiles departures Sport equipment Ohter spare time equipment Construction tools Spareparts for cars Vehicles (cars and motorcycles) Furniture Other costs

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Use of services 100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40% 2006 2008 2010 2012 30%

20%

10%

0% Accomodation Rest. Services Tour package Theatre & Culture Spa & activities Other services

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Purchase intentions of services and the use of services in Finland -all arrivals except tourists arriving in cars, vans and mini buses

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20% arrivals departures

10%

TAK Rajatutkimus 2012

Money spent by Russians in Finland and in certain regions • Money spent by Russians in Finland in 2012 – In total 1,153 billion euros – Product purchases 879 million euros – Services 274 million euros

• Money spent by Russians in Lappeenranta region 2012 – In total 281 million euros – Product purchases 246 million euros – Services 25 million euros

• Money spent by Russians in Imatra region 2012 – In total 85 million euros – Product purchases 49 million euros – Services 36 million euros • COMPARISION with towns of same population with Imatra • Kouvola in total 11,4 million • Porvoo in total 3,9 million