Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Mexico Tourism Board recently announced the first direct nonstop flight from Helsinki to Puerto Vallarta between November 19, 2017 and March 18, 2018. The upcoming weekly service follows almost two years of close cooperation and partnership between Finnair and the Mexico Tourism Board.

This falls in line with their new overall global vision and strategy to increase connectivity, expand into new markets and diversify their tourism product offerings to draw new travelers to Mexico and help continue to propel the country's growth in the tourism sector.

The weekly flight will run every Sunday and is the first time in history that there will be a scheduled non-charter from the Nordic countries to Mexico during the region's busiest travel season. It will greatly increase connectivity from the region to the Mexican Pacific coast with over 5,000 seats as part of the annual service.

"We are excited about this new service from the Nordics to Mexico. The region represents an important growth opportunity that plays to our tourism strategy of driving and strengthening air connectivity through expanding existing partnerships and targeting new gateway destinations," said Lourdes Berho, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board.

The flight will be operated with airline's new Airbus A350, which has 251 seats in economy and 46 in business class. Finnair is the first European airline to fly the aircraft that substantially raises the bar for both passenger comfort and environmental performance.

Puerto Vallarta is one of the most vibrant destinations in Mexico. It is sheltered by the second largest bay on the continent, the Bahía de Banderas, known for its abundance of marine life. To the east of Vallarta rises the majestic Sierra Madre with mountains covered by tropical vegetation. The area is known for its inventive food scene, excellent beaches and the towns of Punta de Mita and Sayulita are both easily accessible from Vallarta.

In addition to promoting the service in Finland, marketing and publicity efforts will expand to include neighboring and nearby countries including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France and Germany, where passengers will be able to make easy connections to the Pacific Coast.

The Nordics is a strong growth opportunity for Mexico. The region offers 40.7 million overall potential tourists based on their travel tendencies, annually; and Finland accounts for 21 percent of the market. Travelers in the region seek sophisticated offerings going beyond sun and beach; their interests include culture, gastronomy as well as sports such as golf. Length of holiday stays equal fourteen nights at hotels of 3 stars or higher during their busy travel season from November through March.

"We are truly happy that our joint efforts and the hard work over the course of time have paid off," explained Norma Pensado, Ambassador of Mexico to Finland. "Our countries are now closer due to this new service allowing both Finnish and Nordic tourists to travel directly to Mexico and explore the beauty and diversity of the country."