The Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, held since 1970, has been selected as the winner of the Finnish Travel Quality Award. The selection was announced at the press conference of the Nordic Travel Fair MATKA on 20 January 2011. The finalists selected by a panel of influential professionals in the travel industry were: Joulukka Christmas adventure forest, Suomenlinna sea fortress, Levin Matkailu Oy, Oasis of the Sea / Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. Opera singer Mari Palo selected the winner and awarded a grant of EUR 5,000 by the Finnish Fair Foundation to Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival. This was the sixth time the Finnish Travel Quality Award was given.
– The small town of Kuhmo has paid remarkable attention to the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival as a whole. This is a unique concept involving memorable although often quite modest venues and the beautiful nature in Kuhmo. Both the audience and musicians keep coming back to the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival year after year, opera singer Mari Palo explains the selection of the winner.
Since 1970, this event has evolved into an internationally acclaimed chamber music festival that has nevertheless managed to maintain its unique air and reasonable proportions. One reason behind the ongoing popularity of the event is the famous “Kuhmo spirit”, or the close interaction between the musicians and the audience. The concert venues include the Kuhmo Arts Centre with its magnificent acoustics, the traditional Kontio School and the Kuhmo Church. Some concerts will also be held at the Lentiira Church and the Salakamari. A new venue to be introduced in the summer of 2011 is the Sokos Hotel Vuokatti.
Suomenlinna gathers votes from the public
Now awarded for the sixth time, the Finnish Travel Quality Award pays special attention to the quality of travel services. The public were invited to vote for their favourite of the five finalists on the website of the Finland Travel Bureau, which resulted in a total of nearly 9,000 votes. Suomenlinna gathered a third of the votes and was named the winner of the public vote.
Suomenlinna is one of Helsinki’s key attractions and is constantly growing and developing. It is popular not only among tourists but also among locals. This lively district is a great place to live and a functional recreational area and travel destination. In addition, the quality of services and activities is successfully developed in cooperation with the various operators and locals. Since Suomenlinna is a World Heritage Site, no renovation or restoration work is carried out without giving special consideration to UNESCO’s values.
In the selection of the Finnish Travel Quality Award winner, great emphasis is placed on the high quality and constant development of the activities as well as the following characteristics: new experiences, innovations, environmental considerations and the best price-quality ratio. Last year’s award went to the City of Helsinki, which has invested heavily in its image as “Helsinki of the People” using original ideas such as the skating rink by the Central Railway Station in winter.
The Finnish Travel Quality Award is hosted by the Finland Travel Bureau, Gloria magazines and the Finnish Fair Corporation, who hope this award will encourage the travel industry to improve the quality of travel products and services and enhance the experiences provided through them. The annual selection is made by a public figure who travels a lot. This year the opera singer Mari Palo had been invited to be the head judge.
For further information, please contact:
Finnish Fair Corporation, Communications Officer Elise Kiviniemi, tel. +358 (0)9 1509 760, elise.kiviniemi@finnexpo.fi
Finnish Fair Corporation, Exhibition Group Manager Anita Mäkelä, tel. +358 (0)9 1509 275, anita.makela@finnexpo.fi
Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Director of Administration and Finance Sari Rusanen, tel. +358 (0)8 652 0936, sari.rusanen@kuhmofestival.fi
www.matkamessut.fi