A record year for tourism in Lapland
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year, there were about 2.6 million overnight stays by visitors in Lapland. Stays by visitors from abroad were up by 18% while stays by Finns rose by over 9%.
The biggest boost to the tourism sector came from the growth in visitors from Asian countries. Overnight stays by Asian tourists shot up by close to 50%. Stays by Chinese tourists doubled from 2015 levels.
More Brits
A traditional Christmas season destination for British visitors, Finnish Lapland registered a 24% increase in stays by tourists from the UK. In contrast, the number of overnight stays by Russian tourists fell by almost a quarter.
The Christmas season in general was good for the tourism sector, 20% up from the previous year.
According to figures from Statistics Finland, the average overnight stay in Lapland costs 130 euros, as compared to an average 100 elsewhere in the country.
This story is posted on Independent Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Barents Observer Newsletter
After confirming you're a real person, you can write your email below and we include you to the subscription list.