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Rovaniemi, the official Santa Claus village in Finnish Lapland, faces overtourism disaster amid Christmas rush: What you must know extra?
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Rovaniemi, the “official hometown” of Santa Claus, has grow to be a vacation hotspot, drawing comparisons to overtourism-plagued locations like Barcelona and Amsterdam.
The Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park in Finnish Lapland, attracts over 600,000 guests yearly, with numbers hovering throughout the Christmas season.
Whereas vacationers experience snowy reindeer sleigh rides and ice bars, locals are elevating alarms over the fast development of tourism.
“This is like my dream come true,” mentioned Polish customer Elzbieta Nazaruk, summing up the joy shared by many guests.
Nevertheless, for the 63,000 residents of Rovaniemi, the vacation inflow—almost ten instances the city’s inhabitants—is more and more overwhelming.
“Tourism has grown so rapidly, it’s no longer in control,” mentioned native photographer and activist Antti Pakkanen, who lately participated in a rally organized to deal with the problem.
Issues embody the transformation of the town heart right into a transient house dominated by short-term leases, which has pushed up housing prices and displaced long-term residents.
Rovaniemi recorded 1.2 million in a single day stays in 2023, up 30% from 2022, fueled by post-pandemic journey restoration and the attract of snowy landscapes, Northern Lights, and Santa Claus.
13 new flight routes to Rovaniemi Airport—connecting cities like Geneva, Berlin, and Bordeaux—have additional boosted customer numbers.
“Nordic is a trend,” mentioned Go to Rovaniemi CEO Sanna Karkkainen, highlighting the area’s rising attraction. Nevertheless, native critics argue that stricter enforcement of Finland’s residential constructing legal guidelines is required to curb the proliferation of short-term leases.
Whereas Mayor Ulla-Kirsikka Vainio acknowledges the financial advantages of tourism, the pressure on native infrastructure and high quality of life stays a urgent problem.
Regardless of ongoing debates, new rules are unlikely earlier than the winter season, leaving Rovaniemi to grapple with an ever-growing wave of holidaymakers.
Because the world’s fascination with the Arctic and Santa Claus endures, Rovaniemi faces a fragile balancing act: preserving its distinctive attraction whereas addressing the challenges of overtourism.
For now, the city braces for an additional record-breaking Christmas season, at the same time as locals name for sustainable tourism options.
Tags: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Christmas season, finland, Finnish Lapland, vacation hotspot, overtourism, Rovaniemi, Rovaniemi Airport, Santa Claus, Tourism
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