Finland’s happiness reputation draws US tourists to Helsinki and Lapland

Finland’s reputation as the world’s happiest country is attracting increasing numbers of tourists from the United States, Yle reports. US travellers recorded about 500,000 overnight stays in Finland last year, more than visitors from any other country outside Europe.

Among them were Nikky Tatum and Chris Kelley, who travelled to Finland from Los Angeles. They first spent time in Helsinki before continuing to Lapland, where they were impressed by the reindeer, food and northern lights.

For the couple, Lapland offered a sharp contrast to life in Los Angeles, where they said people are often stressed. They described finding tranquillity, culture, atmosphere and peace in northern Finland.

“I believe that is what attracts us Americans to Lapland,” Tatum said.

Tatum said Finland is well known in the United States as a country where the world’s happiest people live.

“We Americans often look for the joy and peace that you have here,” she said.

US visitors to Finland commonly combine the Helsinki region with Lapland. A typical trip includes around three days in the capital region and three to four days in Lapland.

“Visitors are now staying in Finland longer than before. Lapland is of particular interest to Americans,” said Tarja Koivisto, Visit Finland’s country manager in New York.

According to Koivisto, the typical American tourist visiting Finland is educated and interested in culture and food. Tatum and Kelley said they had received a concentrated introduction to Finnish culture during their short holiday.

They said many Americans were familiar with both Helsinki and Lapland. Helsinki offers an archipelago, while Lapland is a different and refreshing experience, they said.

The northern lights appeared on the couple’s first night in Rovaniemi. Kelley described the sight as breathtaking.

Reindeer were another highlight. Kelley said the only reindeer they had previously known were Santa Claus’s reindeer. Eating reindeer after seeing the animals was an unfamiliar experience for the visitors from Los Angeles.

“We would never have believed in Los Angeles that we would eat reindeer. It was delicious,” Tatum said.

From January to July this year, US visitors ranked third in overnight stays in Rovaniemi, behind only German and French visitors.

Finland’s NATO membership and business travel have contributed to the increase, particularly during the summer, said Sanna Kärkkäinen, chief executive of Visit Rovaniemi.

The visitors also wondered whether Santa Claus lives at the North Pole or in Rovaniemi, which lies on the Arctic Circle. Tatum said she planned to ask Santa when she met him, suggesting that the Arctic Circle might be his summer home.

Kelley said the answer ultimately came down to reindeer and food. Santa could not be from elsewhere if the food was this good, he said.