Santa Defies Covid-19: Surge Of Tourists Visiting Him In North Finland

Instead of waiting for Santa to descend their chimneys on Christmas, travelers are flying by the hundreds via charter flights every day to meet him personally and then cross the magical Arctic Circle at Santa’s Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, in northern Finland.

“Preliminary statistics indicate that the number of Christmas-holiday tourists arriving in Lapland and the Kuusamo region this year is likely to hit pre-Covid levels, “ YLE, the Finnish portal, reports.

The power of old Santa

The comparative statistics refer to the numbers in December 2019 when there were no travel restrictions or concerns about catching the new variants of the Covid virus and a total of 724 charter flights arrived in Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Enontekiö and Kuusamo.

“We are getting about 90% of the charter flights to the region seen in 2019,” Elina Suominen, communications coordinator of Finavia, the Finnish airport operator, explained.

Mainly from Europe but also from other parts of the world, the visitors to Lapland seem to be regaining their confidence to travel again, with bookings and reservations by the hundreds and no cancellations so far, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.

The ‘real home’ of the ‘real Santa’

Mixing nostalgia, tradition, snowy landscapes, red-nosed reindeer, sparkly lights and crisp air, the town of Rovaniemi in the province of Lapland, just south of the Artic Circle, is known as the real home of the real Santa.

Apart from Santa balancing his accounts and reading letters in his office while receiving visitors, there are “elves” working at the extremely busy post office, reindeer freely grazing around the grounds, an entire village to visit, a park dedicated to Santa-tied amusements, shops, restaurants, rides and other Christmas-related traditions.

Postal employees dressed as elves receive over 600,000 pieces of mail each year addressed to Santa, and stamp an equal numbers of outgoing letters sent by visitors who want their mail to bear an Arctic Circle postmark.

Santa, reindeer, aurora borealis

Along with breathtaking views and the chance to witness the spectacle of the aurora borealis, Santa’s hangout offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing through sparkling boreal forests, real reindeer sleigh rides or husky sledding, meeting reindeer herders, ice fishing and snow mobile safaris.

“Santa Claus spends his time at Santa Claus Village every day of the year to take care of his mission in life: to enhance the well-being of children and the kindness of grown-ups, as well as spread the message of love and goodwill and the Christmas Spirit across the globe,” the Santa Village explains on its website.

Covid-19 measures

Finavia says that to mitigate the risks of the spreading Omicrom variant they have upgraded their cleaning services and reinforced mask requirements.

All passengers arriving to the Kuusamo region must present a valid vaccination document. For those coming from high-risk countries, an additional recent negative test result is required.

Those who have been fully vaccinated are exempted from quarantine requirements but are advised to perform a test if they develop symptoms. Health authorities in the region have prepared health centers and guidelines for businesses and programs for tracking travelers who will mainly stay in their own bubble — including minimal contact with other peers, according to SchengenVisa.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows that 7,956 positive cases have been reported in Finland during the last seven days, taking the total number of registered positive cases to 196,180.

Santa’s short story

Legend has it that Saint Nicholas, the third-century saint who served as the inspiration for the bearded gift-giving Santa Claus, first established his home in Turkey, then in the North Pole.

Since a Finnish radio broadcaster reported in 1927 that Santa’s workshop had been discovered in Lapland, it has been universally acknowledged that Santa lives in Finland.