The number of Russians crossing the Finnish-Russian border is steadily falling, the number of Finns is growing

Photo: rajaliikenne.fi

The number of border crossings between Finland and Russia continues to decline. Between January and September 2015, about seven million people crossed the Finnish-Russian border, Yle reports , citing the Finnish Border Guard. This is 21% less than in the same period last year.

The number of Russians among those crossing the border during this time decreased from 74% to 65%. The number of Finns, in turn, increased from 23% to 31%.

Despite the overall decline in passenger numbers, traffic at the Kuusamo border crossing point increased by 27%. Raya-Jooseppi in Inari and Imatra (Svetogorsk) lost the most tourists - by 35% and 33%, respectively.

As the Border Guard predicts, changes for the better should not be expected in the near future. The low exchange rate of the ruble, economic problems in Russia and the food embargo are affecting the flow of tourists.

At the same time, Finns have actually begun to travel to Russia more actively, border guards say. According to the Border Guard, Finns cross the eastern border primarily to refuel.

Earlier, RBC reported that, according to preliminary forecasts, this year Russian tourists will spend half as much money in Finland as last year. Such data is contained in the report of the Suomi Trade Union. In 2014, Russians spent more than 1 billion euros in Finland.

The Trade Union believes that there will be no return to the old days, since the Russian middle class is generally abandoning big shopping in favor of large international online stores. In addition, the number of high- and middle-income tourists in Finland is falling, while the number of low-income travelers is increasing. Upon arrival in the country of Suomi, they prefer to stay with friends or at campsites rather than spending money on hotels or inns.

The decline in tourist flow from Russia to Finland began last year. According to data from the Finnish Border Guard, a total of 8.9 million people crossed into border crossings in South-East Finland in 2014. The decrease was approximately 14% compared to the previous year. The number of New Year and Christmas tourists from Russia to Finland in 2014/2015 fell by half.

Finns replace Russians at the border