- Title: Merry Christmas at risk as Santa's Lapland home feels pandemic chill
- Date: 16th October 2020
- Summary: ROVANIEMI, FINLAND (OCTOBER 13, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOUR COMPANY SAFARTICA SALES DIRECTOR, ANTTI ANTIKAINEN, SAYING: "Christmas won't be cancelled you know. Santa is still here and all things are going on but of course it will affect local people, it will affect the brand of Lapland for sure." EXTERIOR OF HOTELS IN ROVANIEMI ROVANIEMI, FINLAND (OCTOBER 14, 2020) (REUTERS) HARRI MALLINEN, CEO AND PART OWNER OF APUKKA RESORT, GREETING EMPLOYEE EMPTY GLASSES IN RESTAURANT (SOUNDBITE) (Finnish) CEO AND PART OWNER OF APUKKA RESORT, HARRI MALLINEN, SAYING: "Surely the biggest losses are the personal ones. We have to lay off personnel and adjust our functions according to that." VARIOUS OF EMPTY RESTAURANT (SOUNDBITE) (Finnish) CEO AND PART OWNER OF APUKKA RESORT, HARRI MALLINEN, SAYING: "At this very moment my answer would be that Christmas is cancelled, but the government has promised some decisions this week about the changes in corona(virus) regulations and something could still be saved. If it could be possible to travel here from Schengen countries with two corona(virus) tests, which means with one negative test from the country of departure and another negative taken in Finland, and without (a need to) quarantine, so there is still some hope if the airlines manage to react." PUPPIES AT BEARHILL HUSKY KENNEL AND ACTIVITY CENTRE VARIOUS OF HUSKIES WAITING FOR RIDE TO START WHEELED SLED BEING PULLED / HUSKIES (SOUNDBITE) (English) OWNER OF BEARHILL HUSKIES, VALENTIJN BEETS, SAYING: "Last year I thought I was finally earning more money and then corona came so we're back to normal." HUSKY PULLING KICKBIKE ROVANIEMI, FINLAND (OCTOBER 14, 2020) (REUTERS) GLASS IGLOOS IN APUKKA RESORT AT SUNSET
- Embargoed: 30th October 2020 10:53
- Keywords: Christmas Covid-19 Santa Santa's Village business coronavirus coronavirus Finland restrictions tourists
- Location: ROVANIEMI, FINLAND
- City: ROVANIEMI, FINLAND
- Country: Finland
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA005D0DP3RB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Christmas is coming, but in Santa's home village in northern Finland, the COVID pandemic means that the flocks of tourists who usually start to make merry in Rovaniemi at this time of year are not.
Finland has adopted some of the strictest travel restrictions in Europe, despite its low level of infections, meaning most foreigners cannot enter the country and those that can face a two-week quarantine.
The northern part of Finland, where many businesses rely on tourists flying in to meet Santa Claus, see the Northern Lights or take a snowmobile safari, has seen visitor numbers plummet.
In August 2020, foreign tourist numbers were down 78% from a year earlier, according to travel industry data from Business Finland.
"For local businesses, definitely, Christmas is in danger," Sanna Karkkainen, managing director of Visit Rovaniemi tourist board, said. "Christmas itself will come, but how merry it will be, that's the question mark."
Finland escaped the worst effects of the pandemic in spring, opting for a strict lockdown, which included isolating the capital, Helsinki.
Now, as in much of Europe, infections are on the rise again, hitting a daily record earlier this month, and the government is considering new measures to contain the spread of the virus.
The country of 5.5 million people has reported nearly 13,000 COVID-19 infections in total so far, including 346 deaths.
With Santa greeting kids from behind a Plexiglas screen and elves wearing masks, Christmas cheer is already in short supply.
At tour company Safartica, which offers snowmobile tours and ice-swimming, sales director Antti Antikainen, reckons bookings are set to fall 50-80% this year, adding: "it will affect the brand of Lapland."
Tourism-oriented firms, which employ around 8% of people in the region, have already started laying off workers and many have little hope that the festive season can be saved, unless the government eases some of its travel restrictions soon.
"At this very moment my answer would be that Christmas is cancelled," said Harri Mallinen, who runs the Apukka Resort in Rovaniemi.
(Production: Attila Cser, Ilze Filks, Louisa Naks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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