Hi! So it has been five intensive, practical connected to theory- based learning experience. Experience indeed. I really enjoyed and at the same time got a lot of useful information and interesting insights about creating christmas experiences, and also other travelling related experiences from different hospitality- and other service providers here in Rovaniemi area. By the way, it is huge- biggest city in Finland in what it comes to the surface-area.

The group was international, interactive and social, and we got really quickly good team spirit. we seemed to be similar minded, tourism enthusiastics. The company visits and discussions with the owners, managers and staff memebers was really more than I even expected to be. I am finnish so I can easily compare example how open or detailed some company visit really is, and these were all in that matter very open actually. So it really felt that they are also interested to collaborate with universities and students, see the value of our discussions together, and of course, the potential empolyees in the future here. I could also see how there is quite different kind of companies around, and that is good, there is also different types of tourists. Some notes that I collected from these five days:

Elf School and being elf in Santa Park. The discussion went texample to the matter and discription of ”FAKE-REAL” and ”FAKE-FAKE”. This is something that is very much key in Christmas -themed tourism I see. There are different types of tourists and example to this atrraction, there is demand from British tourists coming with charter flights and experiencing this type of Christmas theme-park in a relatively short time. Can be rewarding for some, but some not. In the last day when we had group reflection we were collecting and selecting pictures from this week and also there you could easily see, some of the (students) saw this non-authentic and some didn´t.

Arktikum science center, were two of the pictures here are taken (napkin there is clearly like a space, right 😉 ? was something very informative, authentic, based on facts and natural phenomenas. I enjoyed, the guide (in another pic) was really professional. Need to go there again to experience the exhibitions fully. I got flow- the optimal experience ”nothing else matters” for a while when visiting there.

One of the peak experiences, an extraordinary to me, was boat trip organized by Happy Fox. It was so real. Genuine, authentic, beautiful. Short informative insights were given, and the guides were local. You just feel the difference there (compared to guide or staff member who is not local, sorry). It is the real value in some attractions at least, to have local guides. Here you see the moment in the boat, me holding hot berry juice there while experiencing the scenery.

Rovaniemi (Visit Rovaniemi´s) creation of brand values to Rovaniemi are; authenticity, giving and caring, surprising and creativity,- and constant presence in what it comes to year around experience and ”christmas state of mind”. These are good values I think and they fit to the area and it´s brand building really. Still it is in ”building” state I think, though also it is good to understand that never (?) you get all the companies and their staff to build their services upon these. That is unfortune but a fact I think. So if I concentreate which companies are already there or very close with their services, I will mention Happy Fox, Arctic Light Hotel, ROKA restaurants, Beyond Arctic, and Arktikum.

There is a picture from old building, propably from the 60´s in Rovaniemi city centre. This picture demonstrates what the whole group was kinf of suggesting for Rpovaniemi (also related to the year-around destination) that city could promote a lot more its history. We had a nice Food & Walk- tour organized our CEA 2018 teachers  and already those small insights about Rovaniemi while walking were really great.

I want to thank Visit Rovaniemi, Hostel cafe Koti ( where I stayed and had a good sleep and service 🙂 , Santa Park, Arktikum, Arctic Light Hotel, Beyond Arcic (nice tour in the rivers and forrests, picture is from our tour with them,- even though it was a summer time, and not their first prio- which is nothern lights night tours), Roka wine & bistro, Choco Deli, and Lapin Martat (nice homely baking experience). And finally –

People make tourism. Genuine and authentic people make the best tourism experiences.