Oulu is a great destination for tourists

In the past, Oulu was a city of tar that lived and breathed with the ships visiting its ports. These ships took barrels of tar for trading overseas – and brought tourists to Oulu. The cargo and passenger ports of Oulu are still active, but nowadays the airport is the city's main gateway to the world with travellers arriving in Oulu daily for both business and leisure.

Tourism in Oulu has significantly increased in the 21st century. In 2010, nearly 570,000 people stayed overnight in Oulu. This is the fourth highest number among Finnish cities. The majority of visitors staying overnight in Oulu are Finnish, but the number of foreign tourists is also high; the most common countries of departure are Norway, Germany, Russia and Sweden.

The total purchases made by visitors in Oulu in 2009 added up to an excess of EUR 191 million.  In this sum, Finnish visitors accounted for nearly 150 million and foreign nationals a little over 41 million euros. This translates into EUR 1,375 per every resident of Oulu in direct tourism income gained by local companies. Tourism is a significant provider of employment in Oulu with 2,380 full-time jobs. The biggest employers are those who also benefit the most from tourism: retail trade and the hotel and catering section. The utilisation rate of hotels in Oulu in 2010 was very good: 59.3%, which is clearly above the nationwide figure (48.4%).

Tourism-industry companies in Oulu have positive future prospects. More than two thirds of these companies believe that their net sales will increase in 2010–2012. Their slight optimism is also reflected in investment intentions: nearly one-half of the companies that responded to the survey are planning to increase their investments in 2010–2012. This information is based on the 2009 survey of the economic impact of tourism in Oulu conducted by Haaga-Perho every three years.

Tourism development and marketing

The Council of Oulu Region is the regional tourism organisation, whose key task is to act as a link to other tourism-promoting organisations such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Finnish Tourist Board and municipal organisations. The regional tourism organisation works according to the province's tourism strategy approved by the provincial government. The tourism strategy for Northern Ostrobothnia 2006–2013 focuses on increasing the appreciation of the tourism industry in the province, achieving quick growth in tourism through general internationalisation, and investing in enhancing the operational frameworks of tourism centres.

Oulun Matkailu Oy (OuluOn) was established in April 2010 to promote joint tourism marketing in the Oulu region. The company currently has 45 partners, including the City of Oulu, other municipalities of the region, tourism centres and companies. The company aims at increasing co-operation and making the Oulu region more attractive with the help of versatile marketing led by certain spearhead products.

BusinessOulu includes the Oulun city tourist office, as well as Congress Oulu.