Overtourism has made it to the “North Pole”.
A small town in Finland is known as the “Official Hometown of Santa Claus” full of curious travelers this holiday season — and frustrated residents are adding them all to the naughty list.
Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and Home of Santa Claus Village Theme ParkRecently it has become a festive symbol for Christmas lovers around the world – suddenly attracting millions of visitors per year.
“This is my dream come true,” said Elzebieta Nazruk, a tourist from Poland. told the associated press“I’m really excited to be here.”
But locals aren’t feeling the holiday cheer in the town of 65,000, where crowds have packed hotels and vacation rentals that residents say are desperately needed in the form of housing.
“We are concerned about the excessive growth of tourism. Tourism has grown so fast that it is no longer under control,” Antti Pakkanen, a 43-year-old photographer who organized a rally in response to the overtourism trend, told the AP.
“The rules should be better enforced,” he stressed, citing laws against short-term rentals that are reportedly being ignored.
In 2023 alone, remote Rovaniemi welcomed 1.2 million overnight visitors – almost 30% more than the previous year – and with 13 new destinations, Rovaniemi Airport has become a major hub for holidaymakers.
“It’s Christmas time and we would love to see the Northern Lights,” Joy, a visitor from Bangkok who did not give her last name, told the outlet. “Rovaniemi seems like a nice place.”
The city is the latest in Europe to be hit by a huge influx of tourists in the post-pandemic inspired neighboring countries to make such policies stop passengers from coming,
This year, Amsterdam bans construction of new hotels In an effort to control how many tourists can be accommodated in the Netherlands’ capital.
Meanwhile, Greece Wants to raise price of trip to Mediterranean oasis With tourist taxes in some cities.
Rovaniemi’s mayor, Ulla-Kirsika Vainio, isn’t buying the Grinch-like publicity.
He told the AP that landlords can make “good money” on seasonal short-term rentals. Tightening the rules will make it more difficult to accommodate the influx of Yuletide travelers.
“Nordic is a trend,” agreed Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi.
“People want to travel to cold countries to see snow, see the Northern Lights and, of course, see Santa Claus.”
