Finland's Hidden Cities Are Back on the Map — Time to Plan That Nordic Incentive
Finnair restores domestic flights to Tampere and Turku. For group travel planners, this reopens a region that punches well above its weight.
Finland has a bit of a reputation problem — and by that, we mean most people outside Scandinavia couldn't confidently point to Tampere or Turku on a map. Which is, frankly, their loss. And increasingly, your gain.
From October 2026, Finnair restores scheduled domestic flights from Helsinki to both Tampere and Turku, reconnecting Finland's second and third cities to its full international network — Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, the lot. The timing of the new overnight services is deliberately engineered to slot cleanly into Finnair's morning long-haul connections, which means groups flying in from virtually anywhere can now reach these cities with a single, seamless transfer.
For incentive planners who've been sticking to Helsinki because "it's easier," consider this your nudge to look further north.
Finland's Hidden Cities Are Back on the Map.
Why Planners Should Pay Attention
The restored flights don't just serve domestic Finnish travellers — they effectively bring Tampere and Turku within reach of any international group that can get to Helsinki. Finnair's hub connects to nearly 110 destinations globally, which means a group flying from Singapore, New York, or Dubai now has a credible, direct path into the Finnish interior.
For experience designers, that matters enormously. It means you're no longer limited to what Helsinki can offer (which is considerable, but that's a different blog post). You can now craft itineraries that use multiple Finnish locations without adding painful logistics.
Picture This: Your Group in Tampere and Turku
Tampere is the city that Finns genuinely love — a post-industrial lakeside gem with a thriving food scene, world-class design culture, and a surrounding landscape of forests, lakes, and saunas that feels nothing short of restorative.
Think private lakeside sauna experiences at sunset, followed by dinner at a converted factory space where local chefs are doing extraordinary things with Finnish ingredients. In winter, Tampere is otherworldly — dark enough for northern lights sightings, snowy enough for husky sledding excursions, and warm enough inside those lakeside lodges that nobody wants to leave.
Turku, meanwhile, is Finland's oldest city and its former capital — a place of medieval castles, a vibrant archipelago, and a slower, more contemplative energy that pairs beautifully with wellness-led incentive programs. An archipelago boat experience in summer, or a frozen sea icebreaker excursion in winter, belongs in the bucket list of every incentive planner worth their salt.
The DMC Difference
Nordic incentive travel looks deceptively simple — clean lines, beautiful nature, good coffee. In reality, securing the right sauna, the right chef, the right private wilderness experience requires deep local relationships that only a trusted DMC can provide.
The best DMC partners in Finland have the connections to get your group into experiences that aren't in any brochure — and the logistical expertise to make multi-city Finnish itineraries feel effortless rather than exhausting.
Tampere and Turku are back. The question is: what are you going to do with them?
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