Finnair (AY, Helsinki Vantaa) says it has signed a long-term strategic partnership agreement with Chinese online travel portal and Alibaba Group subsidiary, Alitrip.

The agreement will see approximately 3,000 Chinese tourists heading to Finland during the winter months to experience Lapland and the Northern Lights. Aside from package tours, Alitrip will also establish a service centre in Rovaniemi to cater to its clientèle's needs.

“Finland and Lapland have many great things to offer and this new cooperation between Finnair with Alitrip will be a great opportunity for Finland to showcase itself to the Chinese public,” Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair, said. “Thousands of Chinese tourists are expected to visit Finland during the winter months with this new package. Our aim is to grow this long-term cooperation between both companies every year.”

Finnair currently operates year-round services to Beijing Capital, Chongqing, Hong Kong International, and Shanghai Pudong, as well as seasonal services to Guangzhou and Xi'an Xianyang.