According to entrepreneur Juhani Eiramo, this winter has already been lost since the hotel has not been able to be marketed. The site should not be opened without guidance services, and the necessary permits will take a while.
In addition, there are two luxury igloos and nine keloigloos in the area. The first part of the plan, which originally cost more than 30 million euros, has now been completed. However, something essential is missing from the Hulp framework.
– The hotel has not been able to open because activity permits for the snowmobile and ATV trails have not been obtained, says Jussi Eiramo.
Eiramo criticizes the Finnish bureaucracy. In the permit processing, statements are requested from various parties such as the municipality, paliskunn, Sámi assemblies and the ely center.
– We used to fight with reindeer men, but not anymore. We have a good communication with the parish councils and there have been no problems from their side, says Eiramo.
According to Eiramo, in the reindeer husbandry area, in the past, many things have been done on the terms of the reindeer industry, but nowadays the problem is more official activity and especially Metsähallitus’ congested permit practice.
– For example, now it might take a year and a half to get a permit for a route of two or three kilometers that would run on state land, Jussi Eiramo agonizes.
Metsähallitus between the tree and the Park
When you operate almost entirely on state lands and you want to build different routes and structures, the opposite party is Metsähallitus, which manages state lands and waters in the area.
– Metsähallitus appears everywhere, as Metsähallitus owns all the lands and waters and dictates a great deal about the use of water. In that instance, things will not go forward, even if there is a chance to go, Eiramo downloads.
– Our operations are regulated, among other things, by the Forest Management Act, which mentions the safeguarding of Sámi culture and conditions for reindeer husbandry. So many things to figure out. Permit processing times want to be extended on the environmental side.
Kokkoniemi alone has several hundred contracts on his desk. In the best case, opinions may have to be requested from at least six different parties. In addition, the regulations and obligations of many different laws must be taken into account in decision-making. According to Kokkoniemi, there is no deliberate delay.
– Here in Utsjoki, operating in the home region of the Sámi people, it takes, for example, easily half a year to get an environmental permit.
The opening of the hotel would bring life to the municipality, which suffered from fishing restrictions
Eiramo is one of the pioneers of Lapland’s international tourism, he has been in the field for over 40 years in Sodankylä’s Kakslauttase. The company mainly serves foreign tourists and is now known especially for its igloos.
Eiramo knows what interests people. In winter tourism, powder snow is important, and according to him, you can hardly find it in, for example, Central Europe.
– But it’s not enough. In addition, there must be interesting activities. In winter, they include reindeer, skiing, snowmobiles, ATVs, huskies and ice skating. In the summer again, fishing, boat trips and canoes, emphasizes Eiramo and mentions how good the opportunities are in Utsjoki.
Utsjoki has suffered from Teno’s new fishing restrictions, which drove away summer tourists. With the opening of the hotel, new jobs would come to the municipality and, in addition, the few shops in the church village would get international customers, the village image would be livened up.
Customers have been searched for by applying at the beginning
Entrepreneur Jussi Eiramo gets his clients from over 85 different countries. According to Eiramo’s own words, he brought his first customers to Lapland by holding hands. Since then, others have followed suit.
How would you get customers to Utsjoki if the hotel opens soon?
– We have the same customer base in Utsjoki as in Kakslauttase, where we operate. Before the corona virus, more than sixty thousand foreign customers visited Kakslauttase per year. That’s enough for Utsjoki, laughs Jussi Eiramo.
– The municipality of Utsjoki has recently taken a very positive attitude towards the development of the tourism industry and other industries as well. There is now a positive new energy there and they have started to discuss things, that is a good thing, praises entrepreneur Jussi Eiramo
*Discuss the topic* *with Yle ID* *27.11. until 11 pm*