ROVANIEMI, Finland — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle.
They frolic in the snow, take a reindeer sleigh ride, sip a cocktail in an ice bar, or even meet Saint Nick himself in the capital of Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi, which happily calls itself the “official hometown of Santa Claus.” The Santa Claus Village theme park, which attracts more than 600,000 people annually, is especially popular during the holiday season.
“This is like my dream came true,” beamed Polish visitor Elzbieta Nazaruk. “I’m really excited to be here.” Tourism is booming in Rovaniemi, which has hotel and restaurant owners and city officials excited as it brings lots of money to the town.
Tourists visit Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi, Finland, Dec. 4, 2024. PHOTO BY JAMES BROOKS/AP
However, not everyone is happy about the onslaught of visitors, 10 times the town’s population, each year at Christmas. “We are worried about the overgrowth of tourism. Tourism has grown so rapidly; it’s not anymore in control,” said 43-year-old Antti Pakkanen, a member of a housing network that in September organized a rally through the city’s streets.
The feeling has been echoed in other popular European travel destinations, including Barcelona, Amsterdam, Malaga and Florence. Across the continent, locals have protested against “over-tourism” or the tipping point at which visitors and their cash stop benefiting residents and instead cause harm by degrading historic sites, overwhelming infrastructure and making life markedly more difficult for those who live there.
Now, it seems to have spread to the edges of the Arctic Circle. Rovaniemi counted a record 1.2 million overnight visitors in 2023, almost 30 percent growth from 2022, after rebounding from pandemic travel disruptions.
“Nordic is a trend,” Visit Rovaniemi CEO Sanna Karkkainen said. “People want to travel to cool countries to see the snow, the Northern Lights, and Santa Claus.”
Thirteen new flight routes to Rovaniemi Airport opened this year, bringing passengers from Geneva, Berlin, Bordeaux, and more. Most tourists come from European countries like France, Germany, and the UK, but Rovaniemi’s appeal has spread further.
Local critics of mass tourism say many apartment buildings in Rovaniemi’s city center are also used for accommodation services during peak season and are thus no longer available for residential use. They say the proliferation of short-term rentals has driven up prices, squeezed out long-term residents, and turned its city center into a “transient space for tourists.”
Finnish law prohibits professional accommodation services in buildings intended for residential use, so campaigners are calling on authorities to act. Not everyone agrees. Mayor Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio noted some make “good money” on short-term rentals.
Either way, stricter regulations likely won’t be in place to impact this winter season. Despite the unease expressed by locals, mass tourism to Rovaniemi will probably only grow in 2025 as visitors want to experience the unique atmosphere up north, especially during the holiday season. “It’s Christmas time and we would love to see the Northern Lights,” said Joy, a Bangkok tourist. “Rovaniemi seems to be a good place.”
Be the first to comment