Finland's official tourism board, Visit Finland, is offering 16 unattached individuals from around the world an all-expenses-paid trip to the Scandinavian country next February, with the chance to find romance. Applications close at 9.59am GMT on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
Between February 9 and 19, two groups of eight will travel to either Helsinki, Finland's seaside capital, or Tampere, known as the 'sauna capital of the world', in the south. Participants will enjoy outdoor adventures, sightseeing tours and unique culinary experiences. Before flying home, each group will attend a blind dinner date, where the eight international travellers will be joined by two local Finnish singles.
Inspired by a viral trend
According to the tourism board, the singles trip was inspired by a viral social media trend from earlier this year. In July, Prisma, one of Finland's largest supermarket chains, began offering baby pink shopping baskets specifically for single people. 'Sinkkukori', Finnish for 'single basket', was designed to encourage single shoppers to strike up conversations, knowing they would not be approaching someone already taken.
Some residents embraced the idea, calling it 'the perfect meet cute' and a 'genius' idea, while others were less keen. @Nadja shared on TikTok: 'I don't think I'd use it even if I was looking for a relationship.' @bethscosylife had a different concern: 'I'd pick that based just because it was cute and wonder why people were talking to me…'
A similar trend went viral in Spain in 2024, when Mercadona, Spain's answer to Tesco, became busy between 7pm and 8pm after a TikTok content creator claimed singles could find romance in the supermarket aisles at that time, by placing a pineapple upside down in their trolley.
Destinations and dining
Heli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland, expressed excitement for the trip, hoping visitors 'may find love' with each other, with Finnish food, or with their new favourite travel destination.
The 16 selected singles will not know which destination they are heading to until their place is confirmed. Helsinki, located next to the Baltic Sea, offers views such as the Helsinki Cathedral, a neoclassical building with a dome 80 meters above sea level, and is known for its café culture. In Tampere, visitors can use one of the city's 70 public saunas, which are popular in February, and try ice swimming.
In Helsinki, the final blind date dinner will be headed by Adele Kinnunen, head chef at Café Savoy, who has appeared on MasterChef Professionals. In Tampere, the menu will be curated by Henry Tikkanen of restaurant Gösta, who has represented Finland at the Bocuse d'Or, described as the 'Olympics of gastronomy'.
How to apply
To apply, individuals must film a video answering the question: 'what would you serve on a dinner date, and why?' The video should be posted on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube with the hashtag #FinnishDinnerDate and tag Visit Finland, then submit the application form at FinnishDinnerDate.com with a link to the video.
The winners will be announced on December 1 on Visit Finland's Instagram and TikTok.
