Estravel Group’s Finnish Subsidiary Helin Matkatoimisto Shines at Finland’s First Grand Travel Award Gala

On June 2, 2025, Finland’s first-ever Grand Travel Award Gala was held at Epicenter in Helsinki, bringing together nearly 250 travel industry professionals from across the country. The event is the most prestigious travel industry awards gala in the Nordic region, celebrating the best travel companies and brands while also providing an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate achievements.

The Grand Travel Award prizes are based on an independent and objective customer survey conducted by the research company Nordic Bench, using the NPS (Net Promoter Score) methodology. This measures how likely customers are to recommend the company to others. In addition, companies were evaluated on ten key image factors, including service quality, reliability, and brand reputation.

Helin Matkat earned high recognition by winning the category Best Specialist Tour Operator. The award highlights the company’s ability to deliver experiences that customers truly value and are willing to recommend. Other notable winners include Aurinkomatkat (Best Classic Tour Operator), Europcar (Best Car Rental Company), Finnair (Best European Airline), Qatar Airways (Best Intercontinental Airline), and others. 

“We are sincerely grateful for this recognition,” said Marika Puttonen, CEO of Helin Matkat, while accepting the award. “I would like to thank our wonderful staff members whose professionalism and dedication are the true winners of this award”, she added.

The Grand Travel Award has a long history in the Nordic countries. The first gala was held in Sweden back in 1992. Since then, it has grown and expanded to Norway and Denmark as well. 2025 Finland joined this distinguished award tradition, reflecting the significance of the travel industry across the region. The Finnish event is sponsored by Kauppalehti, the leading business newspaper in Finland since 1898.

Founded in 1984, Helin Matkatoimisto Oy is a prominent tour operator and travel agency in Finland, specialising in tailor-made tour packages. In 2017, Estravel Group acquired all shares of the company from the original founder Heli Rajamäki. The agency has offices in Helsinki and Jyväskylä and employs 13 full time professionals. See more at helinmatkat.fi