Global travel platform Omio becomes the first multi-modal transportation provider in the Nordics by adding Finish railway company VR to its portfolio

Travelers can now seamlessly book tickets for VR operated trains at omio.com and in the Omio app to experience Finland’s stunning landscapes

Berlin, November 7, 2023. Customers globally have bought more than 40 million train, bus, ferry or flight tickets from German-based Omio Group, making it the world’s leading platform for door-to-door travel. Adding Finish government-owned railway company VR to its list of partners means an even wider selection of bookable routes and a strategic expansion into the European country furthest North. With just a few clicks, travellers can now search and book tickets for train rides between cities like Helsinki, Turku and Tampere – or places even further afield like Rovaniemi, famous home to Santa Claus. While Finish ferries have been bookable on Omio.com for a while, adding the vast web of train lines that VR provides gives Omio even wider coverage up North.

Travel by train is popular in Finland: according to Statistics Finland, a total of 21 million trips have been taken by rail in the second quarter of 2023, constituting a 7% increase compared to the same quarter in 2022. With the Finish tourism strategy defining sustainability as a major goal, it seems that VR as the main provider of train services in Finland is on the right track. Veronica Diquattro, President B2C & Supply Europe at Omio, sees a strategic fit: "Finland is a leader in sustainable development and digital transformation that empower people to make conscious choices, making this partnership between VR and Omio a natural fit. Together, we're accelerating the shift away from private cars, with a clear focus on boosting train travel in Finland."

Interest in Finish routes has seen a slight increase within the Omio group as well: overall searches for Finish train stations on the Rome2Rio website have been higher this year than in 2022. A peak in searches is reached in August in both years, suggesting a rise in interest for travel to and within Finland ahead of the winter holidays (but maybe too early to go and see Santa Claus in Rovaniemi).

VR is the latest addition to a long list of partners for the Omio group: they are already connecting more than 1000 transport providers in 37 countries so that millions of travellers are empowered to find the trip they are looking for. Through Omio and Rome2Rio, the Omio group brings together data on trains, planes, buses, and ferries with the goal of making travel more accessible, affordable and sustainable. The VR partnership has been months in the making and is expected to bring additional passengers onto the platform who are keen to experience Finland’s natural beauty, its culture and occurrences like the Northern Lights. Travelers can book both first and second-class, sleeper cars as well as a combination of commuter- and long-distance trains.

Says Veronica Diquattro: “Our mission is to connect the world, making it as easy to book travel across different modes of transport as it is to hail a ride from your phone. By meaningfully expanding into Europe’s most Northern country, we are a big step closer to achieving this goal. We are very excited to be partnering with VR and to bring the possibility of discovering Finland to so many more travellers around the world.”

About the Omio Group:

Since its foundation in 2013, the Omio Group has been helping its customers discover new ways of travelling. Thanks to the two interconnected platforms Omio and Rome2Rio, Omio is the world's leading travel platform for search, comparison and booking. Omio supports its customers in their desire to explore Europe, the United States and Canada by train, bus, flight and ferry.

Omio partners with over 1,000 transportation providers; customers can book in 21 languages and pay in 26 foreign currencies. In the last ten years, the Omio Group has sold more than 40 million tickets.

The Omio Group employs over 300 people from 50+ countries, with offices in Berlin, Prague, Melbourne and London. The Omio group provides customers with journeys that move them.

Find more at https://www.omio.com/

Press contact:

Sebastian Ries

Openers GmbH

omiocc@opnrs.com || +49 1578 058 8488