5. Rovaniemi - future Mecca for snowboarders

By Sanna Valkonen
     
      The Sami region of the north of Finnish Lapland is unique with respect to its culture and its nature. Of all of Finland’s regions, Lapland is the only place that has its own distinct identity.
      Lapland needs to be strengthened so that the Sami languages, its culture, and its values permeate the whole region, including its services. This means tourism, as it is, and will continue to be a key means of livelihood for Lapland, whether we like it or not.
     
Tourism in the Sami region would be organised according to the eight seasons of the Sami people, seasons that the offerings of the tourist business would follow.
      For instance, November and December would not be promoted as a time of winter with guaranteed snow. It would be seen as a late autumn, and early winter, when nature is still waiting for the snow to fall, and when the round-the-clock darkness covers the land. The late winter would attract people wanting to ski in virgin snow surrounded by the silence of the wilderness.
     
As natural cosmopolitans, the Sami understand the value of other cultures and languages. I feel that Lapland should be made into model region of ecologically and culturally sustainable tourism.
      This kind of a Lapland would also offer training in civic activism and solving environmental conflicts, in which Lapland has long traditions. In role-playing in the primeval forest visitors could jump into skins of the urban bourgeoisie, environmental activists, or local residents.
     
Slightly south of the Sami region is the city of Rovaniemi, which is famous for its rappers and its snowboarders. Why couldn’t Rovaniemi be systematically developed into a Mecca for snowboarders? The vibrant cultural life could stimulate the whole city.
      This would establish a strong Lapland brand, which would include aspects of indigenous people, nature, and urban culture.
     
The writer is a lecturer in political science at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi.

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 2. Design wood from primal forest
 3. Shipping access through climate change