Overnight stays by Japanese tourists in Lapland (Arctic Finland) have declined every month since the end of last year, according to Statistics Finland figures.
Santa Claus park in Rovaniemi. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
However, at the same time – and for the past decade – the number of Chinese tourists visiting Finland’s Arctic region has been steadily increasing. Apart from Lapland, Chinese tourists have also begun to discover other parts of Finland, as well.
Managing director of the tourism firm Visit Rovaniemi, Sanna Kärkkäinen said the decline in tourists from Japan was attributable to fierce competition in the Arctic tourism sector.
Sanna Kärkkäinen is Director of Visit Rovaniemi. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
She said other destinations above the Arctic Circle, like Iceland, Canada and Norway, have helped to turn Japanese tourists to places other than Lapland.
The head of eTourism research at the University of Eastern Finland’s Centre for Tourism Studies, Juho Pesonen said Japanese tourists may be more price-conscious when making holiday plans than their Chinese counterparts.
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