Is this Lapland’s next tourist magnet? Building a “pocket Levi” from Aavasaksia, but on nature’s terms

Hobbit-style cottages, a spa and a restaurant rise up in Ylitornio’s Aavasasaksa. The giant project is attracting a host of smaller businesses that want a share of Lapland’s tourist flow.

Ylitornio’s Aavasaksanvaara is a magnificent national landscape in the unique Tornion river valley, but only a fraction of its tourism potential has been exploited in recent years.

Now the tourism industry is waking up to a 242-metre-high danger with unprecedented volume.

Dozens of cottages and a 1,000-square-metre main building with a spa and restaurant are currently under construction on the slopes of Aavasaksanvaara.

It is Kaamos Lodge, a EUR 13 million project by the company Explore the North, which is now attracting other, smaller tourism projects to the dangerous landscape.

A small municipality-run skiing center has been operating in Aavasaksa for several years.

However, according to Kraatari, the goal is to keep the area as a destination that interests customers who genuinely enjoy nature.

Small cabins with arched doors and a small window under construction in the middle of the forest and trees. The front panels are construction board and the cabins are lined with black plastic. — The 80 cottages will be landscaped by the municipality so that only the mound is visible from the back and directly above. Together with the curved design language, the huts are reminiscent of the Hobbit’s burrows in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

A dozen new businesses

Ylitornio has been hoping for a long time to stimulate tourism in dangerous landscapes.

Rovaniemi, which is full of tourists in winter, is only a hundred kilometers away, and Ylitornio’s gem Aavasaksa is already familiar to at least many Finns.

According to Pienimäki, the municipality now has the opportunity to get jobs from tourism.

– The goals are set as high as possible. Of course, we learned from Rovaniemi and the warning examples that we avoid the disadvantages of tourism, says Pienimäki.

A smiling, bearded man with a beanie in the middle of pine branches. — Juhamatti Konttaniemi, Ylitornio’s business consultant, receives a constant stream of enquiries from entrepreneurs interested in tourism or related services.

There has been tourism in Ylitornio before, but now a bigger gear has been kicked into gear.

Among them are, for example, luxury accommodation, lower-budget accommodation, and tourism related and program services.

– All the time there are more inquiries from interested parties who would like to start a business related to tourism. Yes, this is a continuous rally, Konttaniemi mumbles.

The Riverbank’s turn to shine

The prototype of Kaamos Lodge can be found nearby, on the other side of Tornionjoki, in Luppiovaara in Sweden. The company has other tourist destinations in Finland and Sweden.

– I could see that now is the time for the riverside to shine and get involved in the tourism business, says Kraatari.

Kraatari, who previously worked as Ylitornio’s business advisor, is convinced of Tornionlaakso’s appeal. Nest-like cabins in Aavasaksanvaara are one more destination in Lapland’s selection, and their landscaping guarantees the preservation of the natural landscape.

– We wanted to make unique cottages. There is a lot of competition in Lapland and someone has to stand out.

A man dressed in a black jacket, orange vest and white helmet stands and looks into the distance. Behind you can see half-finished wooden structures and the Tornionlaakso landscape below them in the background. — Operations Manager Toni Kraatari believes that Aavasaksa will appeal to nature-loving tourists.

Almost all beds in Kaamos Lodge are reserved in winter until 2030, even though the first cabin has not yet been built.

The 200-seat restaurant and the upcoming day spa with outdoor and indoor pools in the same building will also serve locals.

Aavasaksa’s other tourism projects are still hidden from the public for the time being, but Konttaniemi dares to make a realistic estimate of the future number of accommodation places if all the plans come true.

– In 2023, there were about 350 registered accommodation places. In a year or two, the number may have tripled. Looks good.