“Call off Christmas!” says Alan Rickman’s Sherriff of Nottingham in the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, his villainous character cancelling celebrations to punish the hapless serfs who dare to disobey him. But now Christmas is cancelled for winter holidaymakers who were hoping to make a seasonal trip to the home of Santa in 2024 and it’s the climate, not a pantomime baddie causing the problem.
After a warm year of record high temperatures in Scandinavia, a lack of snow means holiday giant TUI has called off a series of proposed trips to Finnish Lapland, marketed as the home of Santa, where visitors of all ages usually enjoy a snowy landscape, sledding, encounters with huskies and reindeer, and, of course, a chance to meet the big man himself.
1.5 million visitors went to Finland in 2023, up 20% year on year, according to Finnavia, Finland’s airport operator, and more than a third of those arrived in November and December alone. The story is similar in Swedish Lapland, which saw yearly growth in visitor numbers of 9%.
Winter wonderland like “a carpark covered in ice”
That success story is now in jeopardy however, since mild winter weather in certain resorts has brought only around a tenth of the usual snowfall and even that light dusting of around 2-3 cm has been washed away by heavy rain. While ice remains, it is heavily-packed, making conditions treacherous.
@vincetaskin December in Lapland. Not the winderwonderland as in the reels and videos, no snow, just green fields and water puddles. 🌧️🧐 #ClimateChange #UnusualDecember #LaplandVibes #GreenDecember #WinterWhere? #lapland #Finland #winter #2024 ♬ Funny video "Carmen Prelude" Arranging weakness(836530) – yo suzuki(akisai)
Finland’s Meteorological Institute has put the blame unequivocally on climate change. Meanwhile, TUI customers already in Lapland have taken to social media complaining that they have spent thousands and there is nothing to do, with one client describing the promised winter wonderland as like “a carpark covered in ice.”
As a result, TUI has stepped in and cancelled tours. On 3 and 4 December 2024, the operator cancelled several trips to Kuusamo, where it said it had been “closely monitoring the weather forecast”. The washout means “regretfully, it won’t be possible to operate the magical Lapland experience we had planned for you, including tasters and pre-booked excursions. We understand how devastating this news will be, and we are really sorry to have reached this outcome,” the firm said.
Postponing trips could mean magic of Santa is lost
TUI has done its best to minimise the damage, saying only a “small number of customer holidays to Kuusamo in Lapland” have been affected and insisting that the weather “in this specific resort meant that guests would not have the magical Lapland experience that they deserve.”
Travellers affected by the cancellations have been offered fee-free date changes to postpone their Lapland adventure to next year, but, for many, the magic of seeing Santa is so dependent on children’s ages that waiting a year may make the trip too late. Full refunds and alternative breaks at a 10% discount are also available.
Lapland is not the only winter destination impacted by adverse weather. Europe is warming faster than any other world region and some of its ski resorts have already closed due to unreliable snowfall.
