Growing popularity of Christmas in China sparks Lapland tourism boom

Santa Claus is coming to town - a Chinese town, that is.

As Hong Kong turns on its Christmas lights, mainland China is also getting into the festive spirit with a growing number of events starring the jolly man in red.

Coupled with a jump in the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Rovaniemi - Santa's official hometown in northern Finland - more Chinese people are embracing the Christian holiday than ever before.

Ilkka Lankinen, managing director of Santa Park in Rovaniemi, said the number of visitors from China had been rising for the past three years.

Located on the Arctic Circle in Lapland, the park features a large cavern decorated as Santa's home complete with a school for elves, a gingerbread bakery, a sleigh ride and a post office.

"Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased more than 20 per cent and we expect the trend to grow," Lankinen said.

"This is why we have also recruited Chinese-speaking staff who are also training to master the 'elf' skills."

Santa Park recently signed a deal to build an offshoot in Chengdu , Sichuan province, more than 6,000km away and well below the Arctic Circle. Due to open in May 2016, the 10,000-square-metre venue will be an extension of Chengdu's Floraland amusement park and a replica of Rovaniemi.

Finnish Tourist Board figures show a sharp jump in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country and specifically Lapland.

In 2013, tourists from mainland China stayed a combined 126,000 nights in the country, up from 23,000 in 1994. They stayed 9,000 nights in Lapland in 2013, compared to 1,750 in 2001.

According to Sanna Karkkainen, chief executive of Rovaniemi's main tourism body, the Santa Claus Hotel has seen a 20 per cent jump in Chinese guests since 2009.

The Chengdu project also reflects the growth of Christianity within China, where it is strictly controlled. But for many in China, Christmas remained a novel idea, said Professor Yang Fenggang, director of the Centre on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.

"For people in smaller cities, inland provinces and rural areas, Christmas is still fairly new," he said. "But the fascination with Christmas culture among Chinese people seems to be rising ever more along with increasing globalisation.

"The appeal to the Chinese today is that Santa Claus and related fairy tales are perceived as exotic, magical, joyful, and may be somewhat meaningful. The jolly music, joyful figures and exotic settings are fascinating to children and adults," said Yang.

Christianity had been growing rapidly in mainland China, which was expected to become the largest Christian country within 15 years, he said. "As more and more people become Christians, Christmas celebrations will become even more widespread."

Yang said the location of a Christmas-themed park in Chengdu could be significant.

"Compared with some other regions of China, Chengdu seems to be a city with less suppression or restrictions on Christians," he said. "I wonder whether that is related to the positive activities of Christians following the 2008 earthquake near Chengdu."