THE ROLE OF TOURISM MARKETING IN THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN OF ROVANIEMI

Abstract

In a small town from Lapland, near the Arctic Circle, lives the most beloved character that each of the children, smaller or larger, is waiting for him to bring gifts on the 25th of December. Santa Clause has set up his headquarters in Rovaniemi, in the north of Finland, the country’s most northern point that can be reached by train. It is the capital of the Lapland Provence and of the Rovaniemi region. Annually, Rovaniemi is visited by approximately 500.000 tourists; the city is not only the gate to Lapland, but also one of the top tourism destinations in the Arctic Circle area. Because of its weak provincial economy based mainly on the exploitation of natural resources (forest, agricultural and hydropower), the economic and social vitality of the Rovaniemi Provence is linked to tourism more than any other region in Finland. These represent the results of the tourism marketing strategy implemented by the town for its development. This paper presents the strategy’s main coordinates and its main results, and analysis the vectors which led to the town’s strategic development, materialized in sustainable competitive advantages.

Keywords

• city
• marketing strategy
• tourism
• strategic objectives
• strategic development
• competitive advantage