Writer: Helena Bergström
It's time to tell you about Matka 2019! Matka is the largest travel fair in the Nordic region and offers an excellent opportunity for travel inspiration. If you are a travel blogger, the fair is also a good opportunity to keep up to date with what is happening in the travel world, to find potential partners, and to meet other travel bloggers.
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Matka 2019 travel fair
The Matka Nordic Travel Fair is held every January at the Messukeskus exhibition centre in Helsinki. The fair, which is the largest travel fair in the Nordic region, this year features 940 exhibitors representing 86 different destinations.
New destinations for this year's fair are Angola, Iran, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. This year's theme is 'Hidden Treasures', and there is also a strong focus on sustainability and food travel and experiences.
Days for professionals
Matka 2019 started as usual with a few days for professionals, before the fair opens to the public Friday - Sunday. On Thursday, some special events were organised for bloggers and other media. The morning started with the "Destination breakfast", where you could have breakfast and mingle with different destinations.
In the afternoon, it was time for scheduled meetings between travel bloggers and destinations. You book the meetings online before the fair, and have 15 minutes for each meeting. We talked with Latvia and some interesting destinations in Finland, among others.
Among the exhibitors at Matka 2019
Of course, we also walked around all the exhibitors at the show. There are lots of exotic exhibitors representing countries in Asia, Africa and South America, but we focused on destinations in Europe that we think we can visit during the year, perhaps with our motorhome. We also took a curious look at countries like Georgia and Belarus.
At the Georgian stand, we tested locally produced sweets consisting of walnuts enclosed in some kind of dried fruit juice. To make the candy, a row of nuts is dipped in the juice and the whole thing is allowed to dry before being sliced. Not bad!
The fair continues all weekend
Matka 2019 will continue throughout the weekend, and from Friday to Sunday the exhibition halls will be filled with individuals looking for new travel destinations. Last year we only participated during the weekend, which was fun but not as good from a blogging perspective.
The managers of the different destinations, whom we are keen to talk to, are only at the fair during the first industry days. We attended the fair also on Friday, and in the evening it was time for a party. Today we are travelling back to Sweden.
More tips for Helsinki and Finland
Want more tips for the Finnish capital? Read our guide with tips on what to do in Finland's capital. what to see and do in Helsinki. Below you will find even more tips for Finland.
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English (UK) 
Svenska
4000mil says:
Interesting. Maybe we should try Matka next year. After all, it is not much more difficult for me to "swing by" Helsinki than Stockholm. 🙂
19 January 2019 - 8:24
Helena says:
It's true, not much difference for you! 😉 We think the fair is worth visiting.
19 January 2019 - 10:58
Liniz Travel says:
Looks like fun!
Unfortunately missed this year! Only week I got off for winter holidays.
Nice weekend hugs
19 January 2019 - 9:18
Helena says:
I understand! You seem to have had a great winter holiday!
19 January 2019 - 10:58
Ama de casa says:
Exciting destinations! 🙂
We have found a restaurant here run by a couple from Georgia where they (among other things) serve Georgian food specialities. Wonder if they have that candy too? Looked interesting 🙂
Hope you have a good journey home!
19 January 2019 - 10:07
Helena says:
What fun, what kind of food is it? You can ask about the candy haha 😉 😉
19 January 2019 - 10:59
Ama de casa says:
Some mixed dishes that can be seen in the menu at the bottom of this post:
https://amacasa.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/installt-men-ama-fixar-ratt-resultat-anda/
We were there again yesterday and also tried nigvzianibadrijani (I was glad there was a picture to point to, haha!). It was aubergines with a good mess/sauce - super good!
20 January 2019 - 9:26
Reiselinda says:
You seem to have had some nice days in Finland and the fair seems interesting. Maybe next year!
It will be exciting to see what you come up with during the year.
Georgia seems incredibly beautiful and you hear more and more about the country!
19 January 2019 - 11:46
Helena says:
The fair is worth a visit! And Georgia sounds interesting, doesn't it? 🙂
19 January 2019 - 19:34
Maria / Magnolia Magis says:
Oh how hungry I got to go to a fair! Walk around and see lots of exciting and eat lots of good... 🙂 However, we will go to the SPA this weekend so it will also eat well and swim calmly. Nice trip home!
19 January 2019 - 13:52
Helena says:
Spa also sounds super nice! Have fun!
19 January 2019 - 19:34
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
These posts make us really want to immerse ourselves in different destinations at travel fairs.
What wonderful days you had and it will be fun to see what your meetings can mean in terms of future destinations.
There used to be a wonderful travel fair in Gothenburg that we always visited and where we got inspiration for both this and that.
19 January 2019 - 14:34
Helena says:
Yes, I remember there used to be a travel fair in Gothenburg. I think it was called Tur or something? Too bad it's closed down.
19 January 2019 - 19:35
Emma, Sol som sol? says:
The candy looked really interesting, I can imagine what it should taste like.
How clever with 15-minute meetings! Sounds a bit like speed dating as seen in American films.
And of course I wonder where the photo is of you when you go down the slide!
Have a nice trip back home!
19 January 2019 - 15:59
Helena says:
Yes, it was a bit like speed dating, haha 😉 And the slide .... aah, maybe we have become a little too adult and comfortable? Sharpening! 🙂
19 January 2019 - 19:36
Steve Ericsson says:
The slide would have suited me as I can't manage such a staircase. But, it would probably just be stupid to try.
Exciting new destinations. Of course, tourism is an excellent platform to promote yourself...
The exhibition lunch looks appealing in all its simplicity.
Good for you to get back home and start sorting out some new travel ideas.
Goodbye!
19 January 2019 - 17:14
Ditte says:
How nice to take part in the fair through you. I should have been here from Thursday but unfortunately doctor's appointments/examinations got in the way. So the trip and visit was cancelled. Sad! But "shit happens".
Looking forward to reading more from you about the fair.
Have a nice trip home!
19 January 2019 - 17:37
BP says:
Liked the slide, even though it was pink;-) Also the fair lunch, it was not completely wrong - yummy!
Hope you were able to make more new acquaintances for future motorhome trips. Always fun with completely new destinations that are not so well known.
19 January 2019 - 18:13
Lena - gott för själen says:
That must be like heaven for travel bloggers! 🙂 Hope you got some wonderful collaborations!
Hug Lena
20 January 2019 - 9:09
Helena - Oh darling, let's be adventurers says:
So much fun with a post from MATKA. I couldn't be there this year, but hopefully next year.
20 January 2019 - 21:47