Espoo is sending out postcards to all new residents

Those who have moved to the Finnish city in 2021 can present the cards to receive discounts at local shops

Moving to a new city or country can be challenging, scary, and lonely. Acknowledging this, the Finnish City of Espoo has decided to send out postcards to everyone who has moved to the municipality in 2021. With the greeting cards, the municipality seeks to not only welcome the new residents but also invite them to get to know their neighbours and what the city has to offer.

The greeting card (Source: City of Espoo)

Featuring welcome discounts

The postcards contain information in three languages (Finnish, Swedish, and English). In addition to this, they feature short welcome messages in Russian, Chinese, Estonian, Arabic, and Somali to appeal to those who have moved to Espoo from these countries. Commenting on the initiative and the features of the greeting cards, Resident Inclusion Development Manager Marion Ticklén:

“Settling into a new community and hometown is important, and what better way to do that than with a cup of coffee. By showing the card, you get a discount at the Espoo cafés included in the campaign. With this gesture, we want not only to encourage Espoo residents to get to know the surrounding areas and perhaps find their favourite café but also to support the local café culture.”

The municipality first sent out postcards to new inhabitants in 2018. At the time, it randomly selected 1,000 new households. In 2019, after the success of the pilot, it decided to include everyone who has moved to the city.

At the end of this month, the municipality will send postcards to 14,000 addresses. It will repeat this later this year in August, when it will welcome everyone who has moved to the Finnish city during the first half of 2022.

With this initiative, Espoo is responding to the growing number of residents and facilitating the moving process of its new inhabitants.