Bankruptcy means hundreds of British tourists will not see Santa in Lapland

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Hundreds of British tourists will not be able make a much-anticipated trip to Lapland this year as British tour operator Nortours has filed for bankruptcy. The company has been known to have been in financial difficulties for quite a while.
      "Some Nortours customers will be able to make it to Lapland all the same, as their bookings have been transferred to other operators", says Kittilä Airport Manager Kari Tohmo.
      According to project director Minna Kurttila from Lapland Marketing Ltd, the bankruptcy of Nortours is unlikely to have an effect on Lapland's image as a holiday destination, since it was a relatively minor player on the tour market.
     
Nortours had 10 charter flights booked for the season. This Christmas, 520 flights have been booked to Lapland, and 140 of them will land at Kittilä Airport.
      In 2004, 550 charter flights transported over 140,000 tourists to Lapland, mainly from Britain. "The number of visitors is still at record high levels, albeit that there has been a slight decrease in the number of Brits travelling to Lapland", Tohmo says.
      One of the biggest British Christmas tour operators, Transun, has reduced their Lapland holiday package sales volume.
      "Britain's economic downturn is reflected in Christmas flight sales, which are generally booked a few weeks beforehand", notes Kurttila.
      For the Christmas and Santa Claus market, the biggest British Lapland tour operators alongside Transun are Cosmos and Canterbury Travel. Moreover, Inghams sells charter tour packages to Lapland throughout the winter.
      It is hoped that other tour operators will also start offering winter holiday packages to Lapland in the future, in order to prolong the season.
      Christmas flights employ thousands of Lapps every year, although few of the guests stay very long. Hotels, restaurants, and companies providing services such as snowmobile safaris and dog-sled trekking all benefit from the Yuletide high season. The first Christmas charter flight landed at Kittilä Airport on 24th November this year. In years gone by, Concorde was also a regular visitor


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lack of Christmas strategy hinders development of Arctic Circle region (9.8.2005)
  Record number of flights set to arrive in Lapland during Christmas season (26.10.2004)
  One British family's alternatives: 3 days in Lapland or a fortnight in the Caribbean? (4.12.2001)

Links:
  BBC News: Failed tour firm axes Santa trips (15.12.2005)

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