{"id":22838,"date":"2026-11-10T16:48:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/santa-economy-rovaniemi-christmas-tourism-facts-figures\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T16:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:51:00","slug":"santa-economy-rovaniemi-christmas-tourism-facts-figures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/lapland\/santa-economy-rovaniemi-christmas-tourism-facts-figures\/","title":{"rendered":"The Santa economy: how Christmas tourism shapes Rovaniemi, in facts and figures"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"22838\" class=\"elementor elementor-22838 elementor-bc-flex-widget\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52699f0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"52699f0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div 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.2s;}\n.htf-card:hover{transform:translateY(-4px);box-shadow:0 12px 30px rgba(0,0,0,.06);}\n.htf-card-img{aspect-ratio:16\/10;background:linear-gradient(135deg,var(--htfgd),var(--htfg));display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;color:rgba(255,255,255,.5);font-size:12px;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase;}\n.htf-card-img.nor{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#3a5a4e,#1e3a32);}\n.htf-card-img.nor2{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1e3a5e,#0d2240);}\n.htf-card-body{padding:24px;}\n.htf-card-tag{font-size:11px;font-weight:700;color:var(--htfau);letter-spacing:1.5px;text-transform:uppercase;margin-bottom:10px;}\n.htf-card h4{font-family:'Playfair Display',serif;font-size:19px;font-weight:400;color:var(--htfbk);line-height:1.3;margin-bottom:8px;}\n.htf-card p{font-size:14px;color:var(--htfg6);line-height:1.6;font-weight:300;}\n\n\/* Responsive *\/\n@media(max-width:960px){\n  .htf-wrap{grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:40px;}\n  .htf-sidebar{order:2;}\n  .htf-sidebar-sticky{position:static;}\n  .htf-hero h1{font-size:38px;}\n  .htf-related-grid{grid-template-columns:1fr;}\n  .htf-bio{grid-template-columns:1fr;text-align:center;}\n  .htf-bio-avatar{margin:0 auto;}\n}\n@media(max-width:600px){\n  .htf-nl form{flex-direction:column;}\n  .htf-pull{font-size:20px;padding:30px 10px;}\n}\n<\/style><\/p>\n<!-- HERO --><header class=\"htf-hero\">\n<div class=\"htf-hero-inner\">\n<div class=\"htf-breadcrumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/\">Home<\/a> \u00a0\/\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/category\/press-media\/\">Press &amp; Media<\/a><\/div>\n<span class=\"htf-category\">Press \u00b7 Lapland tourism figures<\/span>\n<h1>The Santa economy: <em>how Christmas tourism shapes Rovaniemi, in facts and figures<\/em><\/h1>\n<p class=\"htf-hero-deck\">One million airport passengers, record December overnights and a short-term rental boom: the sourced numbers behind Rovaniemi&#x27;s Christmas tourism.<\/p>\n<div class=\"htf-hero-meta\">\n<div class=\"htf-meta-author\">\n<div class=\"htf-avatar\">J&amp;A<\/div>\n<div><strong>Joona &amp; Alla<\/strong>Rovaniemi, Finland<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<span class=\"htf-dot\">\u00b7<\/span> November 10, 2026 <span class=\"htf-dot\">\u00b7<\/span> 10 min read <span class=\"htf-dot\">\u00b7<\/span> Updated for winter 2026\u20132027<\/div>\n<div class=\"htf-hero-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Reindeer-Sleigh-ride-with-Santa-Claus-5.jpg\" alt=\"The Santa economy \u2014 Hungrytravelfamily\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<!-- ARTICLE + SIDEBAR -->\n<div class=\"htf-wrap\"><!-- BODY -->\n<article class=\"htf-body\">\n<style>\n.htf-press{margin:32px 0;padding:26px 28px;border-radius:10px;background:#0d2018;color:#e9efe6;font-family:Inter,sans-serif;}\n.htf-press .htf-press-eyebrow{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#C8A45A;margin:0 0 8px;}\n.htf-press .htf-press-title{font-family:'Playfair Display',Georgia,serif;font-size:24px;line-height:1.25;color:#fff;margin:0 0 10px;}\n.htf-press p{margin:0 0 12px;line-height:1.6;color:#d8e8d0;}\n.htf-press ul{margin:0 0 14px 18px;padding:0;color:#d8e8d0;line-height:1.6;}\n.htf-press a.htf-press-btn{display:inline-block;margin:4px 10px 0 0;padding:12px 20px;border-radius:6px;background:#C8A45A;color:#0d2018;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;}\n.htf-press a.htf-press-btn.alt{background:transparent;color:#fff;border:1px solid #C8A45A;}\n.htf-press-mini{margin:22px 0;padding:14px 18px;border-left:4px solid #C8A45A;background:#f7f3ea;border-radius:6px;font-family:Inter,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;color:#3b4a41;}\n.htf-press-mini a{color:#2D5A3D;font-weight:700;}\n.htf-quotes{margin:36px 0;padding:26px 28px;border-radius:10px;background:#f7f3ea;border:1px solid #eee6d8;font-family:Inter,sans-serif;}\n.htf-quotes .htf-press-eyebrow{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:3px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#C8A45A;margin:0 0 12px;}\n.htf-quotes blockquote{margin:0 0 16px;padding:0 0 0 16px;border-left:3px solid #2D5A3D;font-family:'Playfair Display',Georgia,serif;font-size:19px;line-height:1.45;color:#2D5A3D;}\n.htf-quotes .htf-quote-by{font-family:Inter,sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#5b6b62;margin:-8px 0 16px 19px;}\n.htf-sources{margin:32px 0;font-family:Inter,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#5b6b62;}\n.htf-sources h3{font-family:Inter,sans-serif;font-size:13px;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#2D5A3D;margin:0 0 8px;}\n.htf-sources ol{margin:0 0 0 18px;padding:0;line-height:1.6;}\n.htf-data-table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:20px 0;font-family:Inter,sans-serif;font-size:15px;}\n.htf-data-table th{background:#2D5A3D;color:#fff;text-align:left;padding:10px;}\n.htf-data-table td{border-bottom:1px solid #eee6d8;padding:10px;vertical-align:top;}\n.htf-data-table tr:nth-child(even) td{background:#faf7f0;}\n<\/style>\n<!-- HTF-PRESS-V1 -->\n<p>When reporters ask us what Christmas tourism does to Rovaniemi, the honest answer is that it has become the town&#8217;s defining industry, and that the latest figures are larger than most people expect. A town of roughly 63,000 residents (Visit Rovaniemi, 2020) now welcomes more than a million airline passengers a year, and in December 2025 Lapland recorded more registered overnight stays than the Helsinki region.<\/p>\n<p>We live in Rovaniemi and work in Lapland tourism, so we see the effects on housing, flights and the local calendar first hand. This guide collects the most quotable official figures from Finavia, Statistics Finland (via Yle) and Visit Finland, says what each number does and does not show, and flags where the data is older.<\/p>\n<div class=\"htf-tldr\">\n<div class=\"htf-tldr-label\">Short answer<\/div>\n<p>In 2025 Rovaniemi Airport passed one million passengers for the first time (about 1.1 million, +18.4%), Rovaniemi recorded more than 166,000 registered overnights in December alone, and Lapland counted about 3.5 million foreign paid overnights. Short-term rentals now account for more than half of paid foreign overnights in Rovaniemi. These are official statistics, but the exact definitions matter, so check each source before you quote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<!-- HTF-PRESS-MINI -->\n<div class=\"htf-press-mini\"><strong>Journalist or TV producer?<\/strong> We live in Rovaniemi and work in tourism marketing here \u2014 we are available for interviews, filming and local research. <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/press\/\">See our press page<\/a> or <a href=\"mailto:hungrytravelfamily@gmail.com?subject=Media%20request%20%E2%80%93%20Hungrytravelfamily\">email us<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"htf-toc\">\n<div class=\"htf-toc-label\">In this guide<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#s1\">The headline numbers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s2\">The airport tells the story<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s3\">Short-term rentals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s4\">Where guests come from<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s5\">Santa Claus Village<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s6\">The wider boom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s7\">How to use the numbers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s8\">FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"s1\">The headline numbers<\/h2>\n<p>The table below gathers the figures we consider safest to quote. Each comes from an official or near-official source and we give the year and the publisher, because tourism statistics are easy to mix up: &#8220;registered overnights&#8221; count hotels and similar establishments, &#8220;paid foreign overnights&#8221; add short-term rentals, and airport figures count passengers rather than visitors.<\/p>\n<table class=\"htf-data-table\">\n<tr><th>Indicator<\/th><th>Figure<\/th><th>Source<\/th><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Rovaniemi Airport passengers, 2025<\/td><td>About 1.1 million (+18.4%); first year above 1 million<\/td><td>Finavia, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Direct flights to Rovaniemi, winter season 2025\u201326<\/td><td>From 38 airports, in addition to Helsinki Airport<\/td><td>Finavia, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Rovaniemi registered overnights, December 2025<\/td><td>More than 166,000 (about +6%)<\/td><td>Statistics Finland via Yle, Feb 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Lapland registered overnights, December 2025<\/td><td>More than 620,000 (Uusimaa: a little over 550,000)<\/td><td>Statistics Finland via Yle, Feb 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Finland, all registered overnights, 2025<\/td><td>23.1 million, a record<\/td><td>Statistics Finland via Yle, Feb 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Foreign paid overnights, Finland, 2025 (incl. short-term rentals)<\/td><td>10.4 million (+15% on 2024)<\/td><td>Visit Finland, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Foreign paid overnights, Lapland and Uusimaa, 2025<\/td><td>3.5 million and 4.3 million<\/td><td>Visit Finland, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Short-term rentals share of paid foreign overnights, Lapland<\/td><td>40% in 2025, up from 27% in 2023<\/td><td>Visit Finland, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"s2\">The airport tells the story fastest<\/h2>\n<p>Finavia, which runs Finland&#8217;s airports, said in its 2025 statistics release that passenger numbers increased most at Rovaniemi among the leisure-driven airports in Northern Finland, and that Rovaniemi Airport passed one million annual passengers for the first time, with the milestone reached on 19 December 2025. A Finavia representative described Rovaniemi as the driving force of leisure travel in Finnish Lapland. The 2024 total had narrowly missed the same mark.<\/p>\n<table class=\"htf-data-table\">\n<tr><th>Lapland airport<\/th><th>Passengers 2025<\/th><th>Change<\/th><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Rovaniemi<\/td><td>About 1.1 million<\/td><td>+18.4%<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Kittil\u00e4<\/td><td>445,911<\/td><td>+8.3%<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Ivalo<\/td><td>249,056<\/td><td>0%<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>Source: Finavia, statistics 2025. Note that airport passenger counts typically include both arriving and departing passengers, so the number is not the same as the number of visitors.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s3\">Where visitors stay: the rise of short-term rentals<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most important recent changes is invisible in hotel statistics. Visit Finland&#8217;s seasonal follow-up reports that foreign overnights in short-term rentals added up to 3.2 million in 2025, so that foreign paid overnights reached 10.4 million, 15% more than in 2024 and 17% more than in 2019. In Lapland, short-term rentals rose from a 27% share in 2023 to 40% in 2025, and in Rovaniemi they made up more than half of all paid foreign overnights. The annual growth rate of short-term-rental overnights was 32% in Lapland and in Rovaniemi.<\/p>\n<p>Two practical implications follow. First, registered-overnight statistics understate the real number of guests, especially in winter. Yle made the same point when it reported the December figures. Second, the housing debate in Rovaniemi is not an invention; the tourism boom reaches the rental market as well as the hotels. We do not have a sourced figure for the effect on local rents, so we do not quote one.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s4\">Where the guests come from<\/h2>\n<p>The most recent nationality breakdown that Visit Rovaniemi published in its media kit refers to 2019, so treat it as historical. In 2019 the largest international markets by overnight stays were China including Hong Kong (44,000), France (41,200), the United Kingdom (37,600), Spain (25,900) and Italy (21,300). The same kit ranked Rovaniemi third in Finland for overnight stays by international visitors, after Helsinki and Vantaa, and counted 638,000 total overnight stays in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>For a current picture, Visit Finland&#8217;s spring 2026 follow-up lists the main source markets for Lapland as Germany (+6%), France (\u221210%) and the Netherlands (\u221210%), with strong growth from the US (+28%), the UK (+25%) and Italy (+14%). Rovaniemi&#8217;s foreign overnights were down 7% year on year in spring 2026, a reminder that the winter peak does not mean year-round growth. For German broadcasters, it is worth knowing that Germany was the largest source market for foreign overnights in Finland as a whole in that spring data, at 161,000 overnights from March to May 2026.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s5\">Santa Claus Village: the central attraction<\/h2>\n<p>Santa Claus Village sits on the Arctic Circle about 8 km from the town centre. Visit Rovaniemi&#8217;s media kit counts more than 500,000 visits per year, and the Village&#8217;s own website says international visitor numbers exceeded half a million after quadrupling in a few years after the turn of the millennium. These are the two most recent public figures we could verify, and neither is dated 2025, so describe them as &#8220;more than half a million visits a year, according to the Village and Visit Rovaniemi&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The Village is open every day of the year. The season peaks around Christmas, with Visit Rovaniemi marking 23 December as the moment Santa sets off on his journey; we describe the calendar in more detail in our <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/lapland\/santa-claus-village-tour-for-couples-without-kids-is-it-worth-it-2026-27\/\">guide to the Santa Claus Village tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s6\">The wider shape of the boom<\/h2>\n<p>Rovaniemi is not alone. The Visit Finland data show that Uusimaa and Lapland together accounted for nearly 7.8 million foreign paid overnights in 2025, about 75% of the national total. Statistics Finland&#8217;s national picture, relayed by Yle, is that overnights in Finland reached a record 23.1 million in 2025 and exceeded the pre-pandemic level for the first time, with Lapland driving much of the winter growth. December 2025 was also the first December in which foreign overnights nationwide exceeded domestic ones.<\/p>\n<p>Rovaniemi&#8217;s role is distinctive because of the Christmas theme. Other Lapland resorts such as Levi, Yll\u00e4s and Saariselk\u00e4 are known for skiing; Rovaniemi is known for Santa. That explains the airline pattern, with direct flights from many European cities, and the short-break format we see in practice, where many guests come for a few nights and what to wear matters as much as where to stay; see our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/lapland\/how-cold-is-lapland-temperatures-safety-families\/\">how cold Lapland really is<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s7\">How to use these numbers well<\/h2>\n<p>Three suggestions from the point of view of a local who reads these statistics every year. First, match the unit to the claim: use airport passengers for travel demand, registered overnights for hotel demand and paid foreign overnights for the full picture. Second, always state the year, because the Lapland picture changed quickly between 2019 and 2025. Third, remember that the statistics do not measure visitors in day trips or in private lodgings.<\/p>\n<p>It is just as important to say what the data does not show. We could not verify a recent, official figure for total tourism revenue in Rovaniemi, for the number of local jobs that depend on tourism, or for the effect on housing costs, so this guide does not quote any. If a source gives you one of those numbers, ask who produced it, which year it covers and whether it counts the whole municipality or only the Santa Claus Village area. The Visit Rovaniemi media kit gives the municipality&#8217;s area as 8,017 km\u00b2 including water, so statistics for &#8220;Rovaniemi&#8221; cover a very large territory and many villages.<\/p>\n<p>We are happy to help journalists find the right source and interpret it; our press page explains how: <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/press\/\">Hungrytravelfamily press and media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s8\">FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>How many people fly to Rovaniemi?<\/h3>\n<p>Rovaniemi Airport served about 1.1 million passengers in 2025, up 18.4%, according to Finavia. It passed one million for the first time on 19 December 2025.<\/p>\n<h3>How many tourists visit Rovaniemi?<\/h3>\n<p>There is no single official count of visitors. Registered overnights in December 2025 exceeded 166,000, and Visit Finland says more than half of paid foreign overnights in Rovaniemi in 2025 were in short-term rentals, so the real number of overnights is higher than registered statistics show.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Lapland more popular than Helsinki in winter?<\/h3>\n<p>In December 2025 Lapland recorded more registered overnights than the Uusimaa region (more than 620,000 versus a little over 550,000), according to Statistics Finland as reported by Yle.<\/p>\n<h3>How many people visit Santa Claus Village?<\/h3>\n<p>Visit Rovaniemi&#8217;s media kit counts more than 500,000 visits per year, and the Village&#8217;s own site says international visitors exceeded half a million. Neither figure is dated 2025, so describe them as recent estimates.<\/p>\n<!-- HTF-QUOTES -->\n<div class=\"htf-quotes\"><p class=\"htf-press-eyebrow\">Quotable \u00b7 free to use with credit<\/p><blockquote>\u201cMatch the statistic to the claim: airport passengers measure travel demand, registered overnights measure hotel demand, and neither measures people.\u201d<\/blockquote><p class=\"htf-quote-by\">\u2014 Joona &amp; Alla, Hungrytravelfamily, Rovaniemi<\/p><blockquote>\u201cRovaniemi&#x27;s boom is real, but anyone quoting it should state the year and the unit, because the picture has changed quickly since 2019.\u201d<\/blockquote><p class=\"htf-quote-by\">\u2014 Joona &amp; Alla, Hungrytravelfamily, Rovaniemi<\/p><p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#5b6b62;margin:0;\">Please credit \u201cJoona &amp; Alla, Hungrytravelfamily (hungrytravelfamily.com)\u201d. Need a fresh quote or an interview? <a href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/press\/\">Contact us<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n<!-- HTF-PRESS-BOX -->\n<div class=\"htf-press\">\n<p class=\"htf-press-eyebrow\">For journalists, TV &amp; podcast producers<\/p>\n<p class=\"htf-press-title\">Working on a story about the economics of Christmas tourism in Rovaniemi?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re Joona &amp; Alla \u2014 we live in Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle and both work in tourism marketing in Lapland. We can help with:<\/p>\n<ul><li>On-camera interviews and expert comments in English (Joona also speaks Finnish)<\/li><li>Story research, real prices and location ideas in Rovaniemi and Finnish Lapland<\/li><li>Filming days and contacts with local husky, reindeer, snowmobile and northern lights operators<\/li><\/ul>\n<p>Send your outlet, topic, dates and deadline \u2014 we try to reply within 24 hours.<\/p>\n<a class=\"htf-press-btn\" href=\"mailto:hungrytravelfamily@gmail.com?subject=Media%20request%20%E2%80%93%20Hungrytravelfamily\">Email a media request<\/a><a class=\"htf-press-btn alt\" href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/press\/\">Press &amp; media page<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<!-- HTF-SOURCES -->\n<div class=\"htf-sources\"><h3>Sources &amp; further reading<\/h3><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finavia.fi\/en\/newsroom\/2026\/statistics-2025-leisure-travel-driven-airports-northern-finland-lead-growth\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Finavia: Statistics 2025, leisure travel-driven airports in Northern Finland lead growth (2026)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finavia.fi\/en\/newsroom\/2025\/rovaniemi-airport-greets-its-one-millionth-passenger-fun-surprise\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Finavia: Rovaniemi Airport greets its one millionth passenger (19 Dec 2025)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/yle.fi\/a\/74-20208432\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yle: Lapland overtook Uusimaa in December overnights, citing Statistics Finland (5 Feb 2026)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitfinland.fi\/contentassets\/1a0743f969a34541aac902943936d536\/vf---seasonal-follow-up-spring-2026.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Visit Finland: Seasonal follow-up, spring 2026, incl. 2025 short-term rental statistics<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitrovaniemi.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/VisitRovaniemi-_Media-Kit_2020-short.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Visit Rovaniemi: Media kit 2020 (2018\u20132019 figures)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.santaclausvillage.info\/about-us\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Santa Claus Village: About us<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\n<!-- HTF-RELATED-POSTS-V1 -->\n<style>\n.htf-related-wrap{max-width:1100px;margin:-20px auto 30px;padding:0 20px;font-family:'Inter',sans-serif;}\n.htf-related-wrap .htf-related-eyebrow{text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:3px;font-size:12px;color:#C8A45A;font-weight:600;text-align:center;margin:0 0 10px;}\n.htf-related-wrap h2.htf-related-title{font-family:'Playfair Display',serif;font-weight:600;font-size:32px;color:#2D5A3D;text-align:center;margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.2;}\n.htf-related-wrap .htf-related-sub{font-size:15px;color:#5b6b62;text-align:center;margin:0 0 32px;font-style:italic;}\n.htf-related-grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:24px;}\n.htf-related-card{background:#fff;border:1px solid #eee6d8;border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden;transition:transform .25s 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!important;font-family:Inter,sans-serif !important;font-size:13px !important;color:rgba(255,255,255,0.85) !important;list-style:none !important;padding:0 !important;}\n.htf-nl-kit .formkit-alert-success{color:#E8D5A0 !important;}\n@media (max-width:520px){.htf-nl-kit{padding:48px 24px;}.htf-nl-kit h3{font-size:28px;}.htf-nl-kit .formkit-fields{flex-direction:column !important;}.htf-nl-kit button.formkit-submit{width:100% !important;}}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"htf-nl-eyebrow\">Letters from Rovaniemi<\/div>\n<h3>Get our best travel tips in your inbox<\/h3>\n<p class=\"htf-nl-sub\">Monthly stories from Rovaniemi \u2014 Arctic tips, packing lists, and the places we keep coming back to.<\/p>\n<script async data-uid=\"af0fbe56d9\" src=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.kit.com\/af0fbe56d9\/index.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<!-- \/NEWSLETTER KIT --><\/article>\n<!-- SIDEBAR -->\n<aside class=\"htf-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"htf-sidebar-sticky\">\n<div class=\"htf-sb htf-sb-toc\">\n<div class=\"htf-sb-label\">Contents<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#s1\">The headline numbers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s2\">The airport tells the story<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s3\">Short-term rentals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s4\">Where guests come from<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s5\">Santa Claus Village<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s6\">The wider boom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s7\">How to use the numbers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s8\">FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"htf-sb\">\n<div class=\"htf-sb-label\">Share this story<\/div>\n<div class=\"htf-sb-share\"><a title=\"Pinterest\" href=\"#\">Pin<\/a> <a title=\"Facebook\" href=\"#\">f<\/a> <a title=\"X \/ Twitter\" href=\"#\">X<\/a> <a title=\"Copy link\" href=\"#\">\ud83d\udd17<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"htf-sb htf-sb-svc\">\n<div class=\"htf-sb-label\">For journalists<\/div>\n<h4>Local experts in Rovaniemi<\/h4>\n<p>Interviews, filming help and real prices from Finnish Lapland.<\/p>\n<a class=\"htf-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/hungrytravelfamily.com\/blog\/press\/\">Press &amp; media<\/a><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How many people fly to Rovaniemi?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Rovaniemi Airport served about 1.1 million passengers in 2025, up 18.4%, according to Finavia. It passed one million for the first time on 19 December 2025.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How many tourists visit Rovaniemi?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"There is no single official count of visitors. Registered overnights in December 2025 exceeded 166,000, and Visit Finland says more than half of paid foreign overnights in Rovaniemi in 2025 were in short-term rentals, so the real number of overnights is higher than registered statistics show.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is Lapland more popular than Helsinki in winter?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"In December 2025 Lapland recorded more registered overnights than the Uusimaa region (more than 620,000 versus a little over 550,000), according to Statistics Finland as reported by Yle.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How many people visit Santa Claus Village?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Visit Rovaniemi's media kit counts more than 500,000 visits per year, and the Village's own site says international visitors exceeded half a million. Neither figure is dated 2025, so describe them as recent estimates.\"}}]}<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rovaniemi tourism facts: 1.1 million airport passengers in 2025, record December overnights and the short-term rental boom, with sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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