Aurinkomatkat wins Finland’s holiday search, but in AI answers it is neck and neck with TUI. We measured the eight largest tour operators in Finland on four fronts: how many people search for them by name, how much of Google they own, how often ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude recommend them, and what the top three say in their Meta ads.
The big four – Aurinkomatkat, TUI, Tjäreborg and Apollomatkat – dominate everywhere. But the order shifts depending on where you look, and the smaller specialists only show up in the niches they own.
The market: three operators take three quarters
Finland’s package-travel market was worth 726.4 million euros in 2025, down 1.6 % (SMAL). Aurinkomatkat, TUI and Tjäreborg took 74 % of it. TUI is the only big operator with a clear revenue decline, down 15 %.
| Tour operator | Revenue 2024 (M€) | Revenue 2025 (M€) | Change | Market share 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurinkomatkat | 243.8 | 254.2 | +4 % | 35.0 % |
| TUI Finland | 190.5 | 161.1 | −15 % | 22.2 % |
| Tjäreborg | 121.7 | 121.4 | 0 % | 16.7 % |
| Apollomatkat | 54.6 | 60.1 | +10 % | 8.3 % |
| Elämys Group (incl. Matkapojat) | 9.5 | 19.5 | not comparable | 2.7 % |
| STS Alppimatkat | 11.3 | 12.3 | +9 % | 1.7 % |
| Olympia Kaukomatkatoimisto | 10.5 | 11.7 | +11 % | 1.6 % |
| Travelon Matkat | 8.9 | 10.0 | +12 % | 1.4 % |
Elämys Group’s 2025 figure includes Matkapojat and its 2024 figure does not, so the two years can’t be compared.
Share of Search: Aurinkomatkat pulls away
Aurinkomatkat accounts for 40.6 % of branded tour-operator searches in Finland – searches that include an operator’s name – averaged over July–September 2026. That is up 5.2 percentage points year on year. It is the only one of the big four whose branded search volume grew (+2.9 %), while searches for the category as a whole fell 5.8 % to 7.2 million a year. Share of Search is a brand’s share of all branded searches in its category. It is not the same as market share.
The shares in the text are three-month averages for July–September 2026. The labels at the end of the chart show September alone.
TUI is the clear loser. Its branded search volume fell 16 % and its share dropped to 13.5 %, well below its 22.2 % share of sales. Its revenue fell almost as much (−15 %), so its search demand and its sales are moving in the same direction.
Apollomatkat is the opposite case: it accounts for 21.4 % of branded searches but only 8.3 % of revenue. Interest in the brand is high, but it isn’t turning into bookings at the same rate. Tjäreborg is stable at 20.3 %.
Les Binet’s research for the IPA found that Share of Search tends to move ahead of market share. Aurinkomatkat’s widening lead may therefore signal further gains – but Share of Search is an indicator of brand demand, not a measure of bookings or a guarantee of future market share.
SEO: TUI has the widest reach, Aurinkomatkat the most clicks
TUI ranks for the most keywords in Finland (about 12,000), but Aurinkomatkat turns its rankings into far more traffic. It ranks first for 1,884 keywords, against 1,217 for TUI, and gets an estimated 205,000 organic visits a month.
TUI is the only operator in this comparison with substantial paid-search visibility: an estimated 20,000 paid visits a month, more than ten times any other operator. This adds reach on top of its organic rankings, while the other operators rely more heavily on organic search. All traffic figures are third-party estimates, not the operators’ own analytics.
AI visibility: a dead heat at the top
We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude 32 real travel-buying questions in Finnish and Swedish, from beach holidays to ski trips. That gives 96 answers (32 questions × 3 platforms). For each answer we recorded every travel brand named and how it was presented: as the first choice, as a strong option or as a passing mention. The audit was not limited to the eight operators above – the AI platforms named 151 different travel brands in total.
To compare brands, Genero’s audit turns these into recommendation points: each mention is weighted by its role, so a first-choice recommendation counts more than a passing mention, and the points are added up across all 96 answers. Different names for the same company are counted together, for example TUI and TUI Suomi, or Matkapojat and Elämys Group.
By points, TUI and Aurinkomatkat are nearly tied: 404 against 390. TUI is named in more answers (67 against 54), but Aurinkomatkat is the first choice more often – 20 times against 12.
- The big operators own the generic questions. Aurinkomatkat is named in 92 % of answers about beach holidays and 83 % about families, price and trust.
- Specialists own the niches. Aurinkomatkat is never named for ski trips, where STS Alppimatkat is a first choice. Aventura and Olympia lead long-haul answers.
- AI knows the brand, not the group. Elämys Group ranks 5th, but almost only through its Matkapojat brand. Travelon was named once.
- The engines disagree. ChatGPT favours Aurinkomatkat, Gemini favours TUI and is most positive about Tjäreborg.
Ranking in Google and being recommended by AI no longer go hand in hand. TUI is losing searches but holding its place in AI answers.
Meta ads: three operators, one promise
On Facebook and Instagram the big three all sell the same thing: winter sun, direct flights and peace of mind. What separates them is the proof they offer. Our review covers the creative messages and formats visible in Meta’s Ad Library. It does not assess media spend, reach, conversions or campaign effectiveness.
| TUI | Aurinkomatkat | Tjäreborg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active ads in Finland | ~33 | ~49 | ~40 |
| Main format | Short video, 6–15 s | Price cards and retargeting | Static destination photos |
| Core message | “We take care of the rest” | Finnair direct flights, luggage and Finnish-speaking service | Direct flights from your own city, savings of up to €955 |
| Funnel focus | Brand and families | Retargeting and booking | Destination offers |
- TUI has the strongest brand-building creative. Mostly video, the logo on every ad, and concrete reasons to choose it: its own hotels, the kids’ club and guides on call around the clock.
- Aurinkomatkat has the clearest offer but the thinnest story. Finnair plus Finnish service is an advantage no one can copy, but most ads harvest demand it already has.
- Tjäreborg is the most targeted but the least distinctive. Separate ads for Tampere, Turku, Vaasa, Oulu and Kuopio are smart, but stock-looking photos and “save up to” claims make it look like a discount brand.
Three lessons for every marketer
- Measure AI visibility next to search. Google rankings and AI recommendations no longer move together, as TUI shows. SEO and GEO need to be tracked side by side.
- Own a clear niche. AI engines pick the specialist with a clear position over the generalist who also sells it.
- One strong consumer brand beats many. Both Google and AI need a name they recognise – ask Elämys Group.
In short
of Finland’s package-travel revenue goes to Aurinkomatkat, TUI and Tjäreborg (SMAL, 2025)
fewer brand searches for TUI in twelve months
times AI engines named Aurinkomatkat their first choice – more than any rival
How does your brand show up in search and AI?
Are you one of the tour operators in this analysis? We’ll gladly walk you through the full data for your brand: your Share of Search month by month, your SEO footprint, and every AI answer where you were – or weren’t – recommended.
Curious how this looks for your own company and your competitors? Contact me directly through the form below or on LinkedIn. – Sebastian Östman
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How we measured
- Revenue and market share: package-travel turnover per operator from the Association of Finnish Travel Industry (SMAL), 2024 and 2025. TUI Finland includes Nazar Nordic.
- Share of Search: Google Ads monthly search volumes in Finland for each operator’s brand names, October 2024 to September 2026; share is the latest three months. Google rounds volumes into bands, and “aurinko matkat” and “tui” may also catch some unrelated searches.
- SEO: DataForSEO estimates for Google Finland, November 2026. Traffic is modelled, not the operators’ own analytics. Elämys Group is measured on matkapojat.fi.
- AI visibility: Genero’s AI recommendation visibility audit, November 2026. 32 buying questions in 8 categories, each put to ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude with live web search. Name variants of the same company are added together. AI answers vary by model and date, so treat the results as directional.
- Meta ads: active ads in Finland in the Meta Ad Library, 11 November 2026. The library shows no spend or results, so the creative assessment is Genero’s qualitative review.
Sources
- SMAL: Air-based package holidays in 2024, operator turnover and market shares (14 Jan 2025)
- SMAL: Package holiday statistics 2025 (13 Jan 2026, in Finnish)
- Turespaña: Finland, structure of the tourism sector 2026 (in Spanish)
- IPA: Les Binet presents share of search as a predictive metric
- Meta Ad Library: active ads in Finland for TUI, Aurinkomatkat and Tjäreborg (11 Nov 2026)
About the author
Sebastian Östman
Sebastian Östman is a co-founder of Genero and an investor. He works on growth and AI-driven commercial development, and lives in Ostrobothnia.