Can Lapland sell Santa without sacrificing its authenticity?

Soraya Lahlou, a new Lapland resident, reflects on the challenges posed by the region’s expanding tourism industry.

Every winter, thousands of tourists head to Lapland seeking Santa Claus, the Northern Lights and the magical atmosphere created by snow-covered forests and frozen lakes. The region’s natural beauty is also attracting growing numbers of visitors at other times of the year.

As tourism grows, Lapland will face a bigger challenge: How to sustain the industry – and the wealth it generates – without harming the country’s natural assets or leaving local communities behind.

The key to solving this conundrum is regenerative tourism. The term doesn’t mean that travelers should simply avoid harming places they visit; they should be empowered to leave those locations in even better shape than when they arrived.

Tellingly, regenerative tourism was the theme of the 2025 Spirit of Inari seminar in northern Lapland. Every year, entrepreneurs, researchers and the municipality of Inari gather in the Sámi Homeland to discuss the region’s future. It’s one of the rare moments when international perspectives meet local realities.

In one session, tourism strategist Anna Pollock was asked how we should envision our place on this planet. “We are nature (…) A self-organized community that cares about place and people, and about the other communities it is dealing with.”

Pollock’s message goes beyond tourism. It redefines how we relate to each other – as hosts, guests, and part of the same ecosystem. It is even about our human relationships.

Tourism, already a mainstay of Finnish Lapland’s economy, is expected to contribute strongly to national GDP in the years ahead. According to Oxford Economics, foreign spending is expected to almost double in the next decade to reach more than 7 billion euros in 2034.

Tourism isn’t only about supply and demand. Liisa Kokkarinen, head of sustainable development at Visit Finland, explains: “We start from what we can offer and identify who would be naturally drawn to it. That’s how we ensure authentic experiences instead of just responding to demand.”

It’s no longer about selling, but about telling the right story – one rooted in what Lapland genuinely is.

That story is changing as the region tries to attract visitors throughout the year.

“We’re moving away from winter wonderland to year-round tourism,” said Hanna Kouri, CEO of Lapland North Destinations. The wilderness and the Northern Lights are among the things that visitors can enjoy throughout the year, she says.

This shift also reflects the need to attract new kinds of travelers. Away from the mass market, tourists are increasingly looking for authentic encounters rather than standardized packages. Their goal is to immerse themselves in a land and a culture.

Regenerative tourism puts culture at the forefront. In Lapland, that means Sámi culture – that of Europe’s only Indigenous people.

Sámi peoples should be free to choose whether to participate in tourism and to define what authentic experiences mean, according to Juha Saunavaara, a researcher at the Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center. For travelers, that means asking the right questions when booking an activity.

Culture, identity and authenticity

He also highlights an aspect that is generally kept quiet: How far can authenticity stretch between cultural accuracy and modern artistic freedom? Are these places expected to host the same activity for ever or are they allowed to bring creativity? After all, authenticity isn’t about freezing a culture in time. It’s about dialogue between tradition and innovation, between locals and visitors.

Earlier this year, a survey was conducted to measure how Lapland’s residents feel about tourism – an important step in reconciling tourism and local communities. Living here, I understand both sides.

I first came as a visitor, then was drawn to Inari by the quiet rhythm of life here and the bond with nature. I now occasionally open my home for small-scale activities, to get the pleasure of sharing my love for the area and my passion for dog sledding.

Living in a tourist destination can be frustrating. Even the simple act of going out for dinner shows the imbalance. Many hotel restaurants keep the same menu all year – though that doesn’t stop them from charging inflated prices. These spaces could – and should – also cater for non-tourists, offering seasonal, local experiences that everyone can enjoy (at a reasonable price).

A few events do blend Sámi culture, local populations and visitors genuinely well: the Reindeer Race Cup, the Sámi music festival Ijahis Idja or Skábmagovat, and the indigenous film festival. They are perfect occasions to discover traditions and offer a window on the world for anyone who wishes to attend. Why these events are so successful? In my view, it’s because they weren’t invented for tourists. Maybe that is the key to guaranteeing authenticity.

Residents acknowledge that tourism is essential to build and maintain infrastructure and services. This is why the current talk about closing the Ivalo health center feels especially troubling. How does making tourists drive four hours for medical care align with tourism expansion?

Changing population

While tourism grows, young locals are leaving for more dynamic lives in the south of Finland. At the same time, many entrepreneurs in Lapland’s tourism sector aren’t Sámi – some aren’t even Finnish.

Yet they also contribute to keeping the villages alive. In a region where distances are vast and winters long, attracting new residents matters. Regeneration isn’t just about ecosystems; it’s about communities too. That means that no one should feel excluded.

Santa remains a powerful symbol of kindness, generosity, and connection. After all, he’s Lapland’s global ambassador. But he also fuels mass tourism and, on the face of it, doesn’t seem to align with a brand of tourism focused on regeneration.

Liisa Kokkarinen from Visit Finland has an interesting perspective.

“Santa is an ambassador of goodwill, family time, hope, togetherness, she says. He doesn’t have to be related to mass tourism. It’s great to be identified with such a positive image.”

Santa’s magic hides deeper questions: How do we market the place without losing authenticity? How do we ensure that what we build for visitors also benefits those who call this place home.

My conviction is that in Lapland, every stakeholder should follow a core principle that Sámi people live by: care for the land. But let’s not forget the people, all of them. Beyond roots and origins, what if generosity of the heart was the prerequisite for a deeper connection with nature.