Finland is offering international singles an unusual travel experience next year, inviting selected participants to join blind group dinner dates.
The campaign, called “Love at first bite,” aims to promote the country’s food culture by bringing 16 single travelers from around the world to Finland for four-day trips in February 2027.
Participants will be divided between two destinations, the capital Helsinki and Tampere in the country’s Lakeland region, with travel expenses covered.
They will be joined by Finnish singles for candlelit dinners featuring tasting menus inspired by traditional Finnish cuisine. The goal is to introduce visitors to local food while giving them an opportunity to meet potential romantic partners.
Heli Jimenez, senior director of international marketing at Business Finland, said:
“Finnish food is a direct expression of our famously happy way of life: a way of connecting to place, to season, and to the people around you. Food brings Finns together, and now we are inviting travellers to join us in a truly one-of-a-kind way.”
She described Finnish cuisine as an expression of the country’s connection to its landscapes, seasons and communities.
Visit Finland said the country’s food culture has received less international attention than its natural surroundings and people, prompting efforts to introduce its culinary traditions to a wider audience.
Earlier this year, Finland also launched official tasting menus and invited international visitors to participate in its first official tasting trips.
Applications for the blind dating experience closed on Nov. 10. Visit Finland is scheduled to announce the 16 selected participants on Dec. 1 through its social media accounts.
Finland named the “World’s Happiest Country” (again) in 2026
Meanwhile, “Love at first bite” builds on Finland’s reputation as the world’s happiest country. It retained the top position for the ninth consecutive year in the 2026 World Happiness Report, released in March.
Per the report, the country’s nine-year run reflects more than a positive outlook, with social trust, public support systems, and access to nature among the factors associated with its high well-being score.
Finland received a score of 7.764 out of 10, extending a streak that began in 2018.
Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Sweden completed the top five. Costa Rica’s 5th place finish was also the first time a Latin American nation had made it into the top 5.
Finland’s position is a direct result of its very strong performance in 2017 when it came fifth behind Norway, which took first place.
Miika Mäkitalo, chief executive of Finnish company HappyOrNot, pointed to sisu—the Finnish concept of resilience, determination and inner strength—as one of the elements of the Finnish way of dealing with life’s challenges.
He also highlighted the role of social policies, including shared parental leave and tuition-free university education, as well as the right to roam and enjoy the country’s forests.
The report’s findings are based on residents’ own assessments of their own lives rather than a simple measure of how often people feel happy.
Around 1,000 respondents in each country are asked to rate their lives on a scale from zero to 10, using an imaginary ladder where the highest step represents the best possible life.
Researchers also look at factors such as generosity, perceptions of corruption and healthy life expectancy.
Survey participants are asked to report on their emotional experience of the day prior, while the researchers look at behaviors such as donating, volunteering, and helping a stranger.
As Laura Hall, Copenhagen journalist and author, points out, it’s less to do with the outward show of happiness and more to do with trust in society and the belief that we’re all working towards the same end.
