Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Strange Nature gin from New Zealand, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.
FINLAND. Today’s photos, courtesy of leading travel retailer Dufry (soon to be named Avolta) and its Helsinki Duty Free team, show an event which was staged last Friday, and again this week, featuring a costumed Moomin character.
The Moomins are the central figures in a series of novels, short stories and a comic strip by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson. The fictional characters are regarded as part of Finnish culture, known and loved by everyone from very young children to adults.
Moomin interacted with passengers of all ages at Helsinki Duty Free, with the option of a Polaroid photo to instantly capture moments with the character.
“We want to make travellers happier by maximising every part of their journey and give them a reason to smile; on this occasion we entertained our customers during Finnish School Autumn holiday week by inviting Moomin to our store,” Avolta Finland Marketing Specialist Mari Kemppi told The Moodie Davitt Report. “We are continuously brainstorming ideas on how to excite our customers and add a Sense of Place to our stores in Helsinki Airport.”
She added: “The importance of Moomin in Finnish culture is seen also in our local product assortment with Moomin-themed souvenirs and confectionery and in Helsinki Airport’s Moomin cafés and shops.”
Kemppi noted that Moomin stories are not just for children, but they have deeper meaning called ‘Moomin philosophy’ that emphasises typical Nordic values, such as acceptance, equality, liberalism, lifelong joy and the importance of community.
“We continue to excite our customers with many events lined up for our stores through to the end of the year, such as a DJ, saxophone player, magician, glitter & braid bar and a Finnish female voice choir,” said Kemppi. ✈
