The overall impact of the escalating conflict in the Middle East on winter tourism in Lapland is still open, as a significant proportion of Israeli tourists arrive by charter flights.
The war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas is also reflected in Finland’s tourism business in Lapland. The most significant impact is in Rovaniemi, where most of the Israeli tourists arriving in Lapland come from.
– This is a significant group of tourists,” says Kärkkäinen.
By comparison, in December last year, the number of overnight stays by domestic tourists in Rovaniemi was 23 800 and by French tourists 12 600.
Finnair has already canceled all its scheduled flights to Israel’s Tel Aviv until the end of March. The company justifies the decision with the instability of the Israeli region.
The cancellation of scheduled flights in the winter season is significant, as the majority of Israeli tourists visit Rovaniemi precisely between the end of January and the end of March. Finnair usually flies around 150 flights from Israel’s Tel Aviv to Helsinki each year.
Finnair flights significant, but impact on the whole season still to be seen
According to Visit Rovaniemi’s Sanna Kärkkäinen, a significant number of both self-employed tourists and groups have arrived via Finnair’s Helsinki route.
– The route from Tel Aviv to Helsinki has certainly been one of the most requested when thinking about onward travel to Rovaniemi, Kärkkäinen says.
There is still some understanding for Finnair’s decision. Kärkkäinen emphasizes that safety is the most important thing in tourism.
– Surely this decision has been made after careful consideration, and of course we are satisfied with that in this situation, says Kärkkäinen.
It is still unclear how many Israeli tourists will arrive in Lapland this winter. In addition to Finnair’s scheduled flights, they come on Turkish Airlines’ scheduled flights from Istanbul and, in significant numbers, on direct charter flights.
The company Lapland Safaris, which organizes program services, says that in the case of Israeli tourists, charter flights have a more significant share than scheduled flights.
Rovaniemi’s tourism does not rely on a single market area
Visit Rovaniemi still believes in a record tourist winter, because tourism does not depend on a single market area. Instead, the situation can have an effect on individual companies, Sanna Kärkkäinen estimates.
Biton has, among other things, renovated an apartment building in the center of Rovaniemi into an apartment hotel.
*What thoughts did the story evoke? You can comment on 14.10. until 11 p.m.*