Record Tourism Numbers Expected in Finnish Lapland

Finnish Lapland’s popularity as a tourist destination has been reaching new heights in the recent years by all types of travelers from all over the world. Families, couples, photographers – there’s something for everyone.

More direct Flights to Lapland in Winter

Ryanair has started three flights to Rovaniemi from Dublin, London and Brussels. In November Easyjet flights will start from Bristol in addition to Manchester, London and Milan. KLM from the Netherlands flight will also start in November to Rovaniemi. 

Easyjet Flights London (Gatwick) – Rovaniemi
20th November 2022 – 22nd March 2023
on Wednesdays and Sundays.
25th November – 23rd December
on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays.

RyanairFlights London (Stansted) – Rovaniemi
30th October 2022 – 24th March 2023
on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays

Air France flights Paris (Charles de Gaulle) – Rovaniemi
27th November 2022 – 19th March 2023
on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
19th December – 1st January daily.

Dusseldorf – Rovaniemi
3rd December 2022 – 25th March 2023
on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Turkish Air flights Istanbul – Rovaniemi
24th November 2022 – 12th March 2023
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays

Ryanair flights Dublin – Rovaniemi
30th October 2022 – 23rd March 2023
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays

Ryanair Brussels Charleroi – Rovaniemi
31st October 2022 – 24th March 2023
on Mondays and Fridays

Eaasyjet Manchester – Rovaniemi
19th November 2022 – 7th January 2023
on Tuesdays and Saturdays

Easyjet Bristol – Rovaniemi
18th November 2022 – 6th January 2023
on Mondays and Fridays

KLM flights Amsterdam – Rovaniemi
3rd December 2022 – 25th March 2023
on Saturdays

Multiple airlines, such as Air France from France, EasyJet from the UK, Eurowings from Dusseldorf and Turkish Airlines from Istanbul have noticed the market demand, and are now filling it during the upcoming winter season. According to Sanna Kärkkäinen, the Managing Director of Visit Rovaniemi, there will be more direct flights from several European metropolitans than ever before, such as Paris, Milan and Brussels, along with many cities from Germany and the British Islands. This also means that the locals from Lapland will have several direct holiday destinations to choose from, instead of having to transfer in bigger cities.

The tourism of Lapland seems to be finally recovering from the pandemic, and the visitor numbers are expected to exceed the current record, when 3.1 million overnight stays were registered in 2019.

In November and December, four more new connections to airports in Lapland will open. 

Kittilä Airport flights

Kittilä Airport will also celebrate the launch of new connections: Air France to Paris and Eurowings to Düsseldorf.

Easy Jet flights from Manchester, London Gatwick and Milan Malpensa will resume to Rovaniemi Airport, as will Air France flights from Paris, Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul and Eurowings flights from Düsseldorf.

Air Baltic flights from Riga and Lufthansa flights from Munich will return to Kittilä Airport. 

Ivalo and Kuusamo Airport

Ivalo Airport and Kuusamo Airport will be delighted to welcome connections to Germany again, as Lufthansa will resume weekly connections from Frankfurt to both airports.

In addition to new routes and resuming connections, the frequency of flights will also increase. Norwegian has announced flights between Helsinki Airport and Kittilä Airport during the Christmas season and the skiing holiday week. 

Hotels- Trips Booking 

Hotels and activities are starting to get fully booked throughout the whole season, but especially for Christmas holidays. It’s highly recommended to always book accommodation and activities beforehand, since last minute availability cannot be guaranteed. Having flights cancelled just before departure seems to be a common post-covid fear, and the reason for many not wanting to book anything before landing to Lapland. However, the cancellation policies are commonly fair, and having to cancel a prebooked hotel or excursion due to external factor is usually understood. Therefore, it’s safer to start planning and booking everything in advance, and check the cancellation policies while you’re at it. Additionally, the ski slopes and tracks have already been opened in Rovaniemi, Levi and Ruka, which is attracting more visitors already at the early stage of the season.

 

Entrepreneurs in Levi, Kittilä

The entrepreneurs in Levi are prepared for the busy season by hiring more staff, extending services, and arranging events. Everyone seems to feel confident and ready to offer high quality services for the tourists. The preparations have been started long before the season, just like any other year. The high volume of prebooked accommodations and activities are promising a busy season. The only question remains, how much is the price of gas and energy preventing some tourists from coming to the north – including the tourists from southern Finland. However, the direct flights from all over Europe are making it easier for many to reach Lapland affordably.

If you’re up for social events in Levi during this season, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are highly popular. The annual Christmas Market of Levi is opening on 11^th of November and is perfect for getting tuned into the traditional Christmassy atmosphere. There you can find decorated wooden stalls offering local and Lappish handicrafts along with other products, snacks and drinks. The Christmas market will be open on weekends in November, and daily in December. There will also be fireworks and other activities in Levi area on New Year’s Eve. Specific locations and timetable will be announced later, which can be found in Visit Levi website.  

And who would want to spend Christmas without visiting the Elves Village, or even learning how to become an elf? Elves Village is a great place for that. Arcandia adventure park in Levi is also hosting events during all of these holidays for both families, and adults only. 

Moreover, Visit Lapland Facebook group is a great place to search and ask for recommendations, in addition to the already existing posts and excursions available at Visit Lapland Website.

 

⇐  By Erika Katainen / Visit Lapland ⇒