Reporters often ask us the same two questions: where do Lapland’s visitors come from, and why do they come? The answer is documented better than most people expect, but you have to read several different official statistics, because each one measures something slightly different.

We are Joona and Alla, a couple living in Rovaniemi, and we both work in tourism marketing in Lapland. Our own site’s readers are mainly European (about 70%) and American (about 20%) families and couples, which is a small, self-selected sample, so everything below comes from official sources and not from our readership.

The top markets in winter

The clearest measure of where visitors come from is registered overnight stays by country of residence. Statistics Finland says that in December 2025 the highest numbers of foreign nights in Finland came from the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Visit Finland’s follow-up report gives the figures: British visitors recorded 262,600 overnight stays in December 2025 (+9% year on year), which is 27% of all foreign nights, and 91% of those British nights were spent in Lapland.

For the whole winter, from December 2025 to February 2026, Visit Finland counted 2.4 million foreign overnight stays in Finland, up 6%. About 60% of them (around 1.5 million) were registered in Lapland, and the Helsinki region accounted for 28% (0.7 million). The leading source market was again the United Kingdom, with over 404,000 overnight stays; Germany and France each contributed more than 200,000; and the Netherlands and the United States each exceeded 100,000.

These are Finland-wide figures, since Visit Finland publishes the national breakdown by market; only the share in Lapland (91% for the British in December) is regional. We have not found a published breakdown of Rovaniemi’s visitors by nationality and will not guess at one.

The ranking shifts through the winter. Visit Finland’s reports say that January 2026 was a key month for German, British and French visitors, and that for January and February together the top source countries for foreign overnight stays in Finland were Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In other words, the British lead is strongest around Christmas and New Year, and continental European markets, including Germany, carry more of the weight from January. For a German-language story, that is a useful detail: German visitors are the largest foreign market over the whole of 2025 in Finland, but December is when they are outnumbered by the British.

Finland-wide: the bigger picture

Over the whole of 2025, Visit Finland says Germany remained the largest foreign market for registered overnights, followed by the UK, Sweden, the United States and France, and that all major markets posted higher overnight figures than in 2024. In total, Finland recorded 5.1 million foreign visits (+4%) and 7.2 million registered foreign overnight stays, the highest annual figure on record. In Lapland, 58% of all nights spent were by foreign visitors.

Visit Finland’s border survey, which asks departing visitors, gives a different ranking because it counts trips rather than registered nights and includes day-trippers and visitors who do not use registered lodging. For the twelve months from March 2025 to February 2026, the top markets for leisure trips to Finland were:

Note the difference. Estonia ranks first in trips, a Finland-wide figure that counts every border crossing for leisure; we have no source for how many Estonians travel to Lapland. The UK’s weight in Lapland comes from registered overnight stays, which count nights rather than trips. That is why quoting “Germany is Finland’s biggest market” and “the British are Lapland’s biggest winter market” are both correct, and why you should always say which statistic you mean.

Which markets are growing

Business Finland and Visit Finland’s April 2026 winter release says that in the last two winters the largest absolute growth in visitor numbers came from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan. Winter 2025–26 brought 1.3 million foreign visitors from 87 countries (+4%), with holiday trips up 8%. The same release names the most visited destinations for holidays in winter as Rovaniemi and Helsinki, and says growth was also seen in Kittilä-Levi, Inari-Saariselkä and Kolari-Ylläs.

Some markets are not back at pre-pandemic levels. Visit Finland’s year-end report says that Sweden, Estonia, China (including Hong Kong), Japan and Norway all delivered fewer registered overnight stays in 2025 than in 2019. Its February 2026 report says that seat capacity from China to Finland for summer 2026 is set to nearly double with new daily flights from Shanghai and Beijing. We would treat that as a signal to watch rather than a fact about visitors, because seats are not travellers.

Why they come

The best official evidence on motivation is Visit Finland’s visitor survey, summarised in its April 2026 release. It says the best experiences visitors name in Lapland are activities such as husky and reindeer safaris, together with good service and a warm atmosphere. Nature and the northern lights are important reasons for many to come, but they are often an expected part of the trip rather than a surprise highlight. It describes Rovaniemi as standing out within Lapland as the iconic Santa Claus and activity destination, combining activities with a lighter city experience including restaurants, while the rest of Lapland appears more as an authentic nature and active destination, with skiing, scenery and wilderness.

The Finland-wide border survey adds that in 2025, 76% of foreign trips were for leisure, and of those leisure trips 69% were holiday-related, 24% were visits to friends or relatives and 3% were for study. Among Finland’s winter visitors, Visit Finland notes a growing interest in outdoor activities, wellness experiences and city breaks.

A practical consequence: most of these visitors want programme activities in a short window, which is why bookings concentrate around the Christmas period. Our comparison of Rovaniemi, Ivalo and Inari looks at how the destinations differ for the experiences visitors say they want.

How they book

Visit Finland says that in Lapland the number of independent travellers continued to grow while the number of package travellers fell by seven percentage points, so now only about one in four buys the trip as a package. Across Finland in 2025, the border survey puts the share of package trips at 7% (down one percentage point), the median stay at three nights (one fewer than a year earlier) and the average advance booking at 2.7 months. Direct air access plays a role: Finavia reports that Rovaniemi has direct flights from 38 airports in winter 2025–26.

What the statistics cannot tell you

• Rovaniemi by nationality. We could not find a public breakdown for the city alone.
• Visitors in unregistered rentals. Statistics Finland’s accommodation figures do not include them, and Yle reported that in January 2025 Rovaniemi recorded more nights in short-term rentals than in official lodging.
• Motivations beyond the survey. Surveys capture what visitors say, not necessarily all they weigh when booking.

We are happy to help journalists with local context, including how different markets tend to travel; see our press page.

FAQ

Which country sends the most visitors to Lapland in winter?

The United Kingdom. British visitors recorded 262,600 overnight stays in Finland in December 2025, 27% of foreign nights, and 91% of those nights were in Lapland (Visit Finland).

Are Germans important for Lapland?

Yes. Germany was the largest foreign market for registered overnights in Finland in 2025 and contributed more than 200,000 overnight stays in the winter of 2025–26, according to Visit Finland.

Why do people visit Lapland?

Visit Finland says visitors name experiences such as husky and reindeer safaris, and that nature and the northern lights are an expected part of the trip. Rovaniemi stands out as the Santa Claus destination.

How many foreign visitors does Finland get in winter?

1.3 million foreign visitors from 87 countries between December 2025 and February 2026, up 4% (Business Finland).