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Anders Å Karlsson - Mariehamn

Åland is not only 6700 islands and a wonderful archipelago...

... Åland also offers an active business industry that may be of interest for Danish businesses. Shipping, trade, banking, agriculture and food are among the most important industries. The economy is strongly characterized by service and service industries. Tax-free system is still allowed on passenger ferries since the ferry service is very important for our living conditions and for tourism and trade. The number of visitors amounts to about 1.8 million people per year.

Our entrepreneurial culture has led to development of many interesting companies. For example, on the IT sector, companies have successfully developed banking and card systems, booking systems for shipping companies, online gaming, etc. The traditional industry largely produces agricultural products that are exported to Finland and Sweden. The potato chips company, which is one of the major food producers, got in their early stages "know-how" from Denmark and was partly owned by a Danish company.

Åland is an autonomous, demilitarized, Swedish-speaking region of Finland. Åland has its own flag, own stamps and car license plates, as well as its own top-level domain (.ax) on the Internet. The population is approximately 28 500 people and consists of more than 90 nationalities. Swedish is clearly the dominant language.

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Unique to Åland is especially the archipelago with thousands of beautiful cliffs and skerries of red granite.

I myself live and work on Åland. Previously, I worked in the management of the Chips Group and during that time was also in the board for many years in the Danish (subsidiary) company KiMs A/S, the leading producer of chips and snacks in Denmark. Nowadays, I am working as member of board of directors in several companies. The largest are:

•   Ålandsbanken (banking),

•   Ålands Ömsesidiga Försäkringsbolag (insurance),

•   Ålands Penningautomatförening (PAF) (online gaming and casino),

•   Ålands Centralandelslag (dairy and bakery), and

•   Ålands Skogsindustrier (wood processing).

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The Consulate on Åland

I recommend the websites www.aland.ax and www.visitaland.com for more information.

Welcome to Åland!

 

Anders Å Karlsson

Danish honorary consul on Åland