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Finnish Lapland attracts fast growing number of Chinese visitors

Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Lapland, the northern-most region of Finland, has tripled over the past few years, reported Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Thursday.

According to information obtained by Yle, the number of overnight stays by Chinese tourists totaled 15,000 in 2015, a number which has increased dramatically.

Chinese visitors spend money lavishly, between 500 to 1,000 euros (543 and 1,085 U.S. dollars) per capita on average, said Sanna Karkkainen, managing director of Rovaniemi Tourism and Marketing company, when speaking to Yle.

In addition to the northern lights and being the official hometown of Santa Claus, a big attraction is certainly the clean and fresh air, explained Karkkainen.

Karkkainen said the growth in Chinese visitors has happened faster than any one would have predicted, adding that many tourism companies in Lapland were seeking employees with Chinese language skills.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Finland has clearly been on the rise in recent years. According to the latest figure published by Statistics Finland, compared to one year earlier, overnight stays by Chinese visitors in Finland increased 42.2 percent from January to October, 2015. Endit