Bad news for anyone who is planning a trip to Lapland this winter: it hasn’t snowed yet. Worse, it is unlikely to snow before mid-December.
Winter tourism is huge business in Lapland, with 100,000 visitors every Santa Season, worth €700m (£625m) to the local economy. But this year’s unusually warm weather means that those who arrive expecting a winter wonderland are destined to be met with nothing but concrete and trees. It is a disaster.
Or is it? Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe, in the absence of snow, Lapland has an opportunity to show the world that it has more to offer than just Santa Claus – that there are still plenty of things to do that don’t revolve around Christmas. How about these?
The Three Nations’ Border Point After hiking 11km westwards through the Malla Strict nature reserve, tourists will reach a man-made island marking the meeting point of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Once there, they can take pictures or eat whatever snack they packed for the journey, or just sort of stand around a bit. Fun!
Riutukan Kamppa Ever wondered about north Finland’s logging industry between 1920 and 1950? No? Well, it isn’t snowing so you don’t exactly have a lot of choice. Things to do include looking at a cabin, looking at a barn and looking at a food storage facility. There, that’s a day killed.
Lordi’s Square This small area of Rovaniemi was renamed in tribute to the band that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. TripAdvisor’s highlighted review reads: “This square is in the middle of the town. There isn’t anything overly special about it, it is quite plain and boring. There are some restaurants and shops around it.” We’ll take it!
Taidekehystämö Hyvärinen An art supply shop. Kids, you like to paint, don’t you? Hey, shut up, it’s not my fault that it’s not snowing, is it? I paid good money for this trip, so take your paint and be quiet.
IronBeardTattoo The perfect place to go to permanently emblazon your body with the legend, “Let’s just go to France next year”.
