Image: Saija Nironen / Yle
Lapland’s tourism industry is eagerly anticipating the arrival of visitors from southern Finland where schools close for the winter break in the last week of February.
A chalet broker in Sodankylä told Yle he booked 90% in the last week of the month, up from an occupancy rate of just 10% the week before.
“We only have Finnish customers this winter. Fortunately, we have seen record demand,” said Päivi Hannula, Managing Director of Pyhä-Luosto Travel in Sodankylä.
Winter holidays in Finland are spread over three weeks. State Railways VR said it added more night trains to Lapland, while Finnair said it sold many tickets on its domestic routes.
Lomarengas, the largest chalet rental broker in Finland, said 2,500 of its 3,000 chalets year-round have been booked. The company said February through April bookings were up 20% from a year ago – despite the fact that last spring was also a popular time for cabin getaways.
But tourist operators are not the only ones preparing for the end of the year celebrations.
Head of Infectious Diseases of the Lapland Hospital District, Markku Broas, noted that mutated strains of the virus could spread north from southern regions.
Mika salminen, the health safety director of THL, the public health watchdog, said he hoped people would choose to vacation near their homes.
“Now is not a good time to go on a big group trip and spend every night in the après ski bars,†he said.
With lovely winter weather throughout most of Finland, winter sports enthusiasts don’t need to travel to Lapland – or a ski resort – to hit the slopes as the country has a network of free cross-country ski trails.
The week-long vacation period is staggered across the country, with schools in the south breaking up for vacation around mid-February. Students from central Finland take off a week after their peers in the south, while students from the north take their vacation a week later.
