The Santa Claus effect: how expanding tourism ate into Lapland's green space

"Once upon a time, Lapland was a word that conjured up the home of Santa Claus in the imagination of British children, but increasingly it has become a tourist destination. Last year, more than 700,000 people came to the region, with 100,000 of them coming from Britain. That number is up 160% compared with 30 years ago. Soaring tourism is making a substantial footprint on Lapland's environment."

"Exclusive analysis shows that around tourist hotspots in Finnish Lapland, green areas equivalent in size to London's Hyde Park were developed for the purposes of tourism in the five years to 2023. The developments include holiday homes, ski slopes and a virtual reality experience to give tourists who missed the light show another chance to view the aurora borealis. The Utsjoki Arctic Resort was built in an area designated to have national significance."

"The extent of the development was uncovered as part of the broader Green to Grey cross-border project with the Guardian, Arena for Journalism in Europe, Le Monde, the Finnish journalism platform Long Play and eight other news outlets in 11 countries across Europe. While some expansions are larger in scale, many are smaller-scale string developments consisting of one or two holiday homes. But all are leaving their mark on the region's pristine landscapes."

Tourism in Finnish Lapland has grown to over 700,000 visitors annually, including about 100,000 from Britain, a 160% increase compared with 30 years ago. Rapid tourism expansion has converted significant green areas into tourist infrastructure between 2018 and 2023, equating to spaces the size of London's Hyde Park around hotspots. Developments include holiday homes, ski slopes, virtual reality aurora experiences, and large resorts such as Utsjoki Arctic Resort built in nationally significant areas. An estimated 15% of regional developments are tourism-related, rising to around 50% in primary tourist hubs like Rovaniemi. Many developments are small-scale strings of one or two holiday homes, collectively impacting pristine landscapes.

Read at www.theguardian.com