at Santa Claus Holiday Village
Practical choices for Lapland and our local community
Santa Claus Holiday Village operates year-round at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi. For us, responsibility means making practical choices in the way we use energy, heat our buildings, manage waste, select services and support the local community.
Green Key certification and the Sustainable Travel Finland label guide our continuous development
We use renewable electricity, ground-source heating and locally produced district heating
We support families, elderly people and young people in Rovaniemi through charitable work and local partnerships
efficient heating
Since 2021, the electricity purchased for our operations has come from renewable energy sources. Timed and motion-sensor lighting helps prevent unnecessary energy use, while each apartment has a master power switch.
Different buildings across the holiday village use different heating solutions, including ground-source heating, renewable-electricity heating and Rovaniemi’s locally produced, low-emission district heating.
Our maintenance and housekeeping teams use electric vehicles for daily transport within the holiday village.
Santa Claus Holiday Village is Green Key certified and holds the Sustainable Travel Finland label. The two complement each other: Green Key verifies practical environmental management, while Sustainable Travel Finland provides a broader framework for developing responsible tourism.
Green Key is an international environmental certification programme for tourism businesses, managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Its criteria cover areas including energy and water use, waste management, cleaning, food and beverage services, procurement, staff involvement and communication with guests. Compliance is assessed through documentation, independent verification and regular on-site audits.
Certified businesses must meet the programme’s mandatory criteria and continue improving their performance. Green Key is therefore not a one-time award, but an ongoing commitment to more responsible daily operations.
Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) is a national programme and label developed by Visit Finland. To qualify, a tourism business completes a seven-step development process that includes staff training, recognised third-party certification, performance measurement, responsible communication, a long-term development plan and verification.
The programme looks beyond environmental measures alone. It also addresses the social, cultural and economic effects of tourism, including how businesses support local communities, respect their operating environment and develop responsibly over time.
Guests can sort their waste at two clearly marked recycling points within the holiday village. Our restaurants monitor food waste and work to reduce avoidable losses.
We use professionally maintained rental textiles in our cottages and suites and consider environmental impact when selecting cleaning products. Selected products used in our restaurants carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
These everyday choices form part of the environmental management assessed through our Green Key certification.
Silta-säätiö – The Bridge Foundation
Santa Claus Holiday Village supports the well-being of the local community through charitable work and youth activities.
We are one of the founding members of the Bridge Foundation, which brings practical help and Christmas joy to people in need. Through the foundation, we have supported elderly people living alone, low-income families with children and young local athletes.
We also sponsor local youth sports and hobbies, including girls’ football and horse riding.
Selected expansion projects at Santa Claus Holiday Village have received support from the EU Structural Funds.