Thomas Cook ends misleading claim about Santa's home town

Exclusive: Instead of ‘far inside the Arctic Circle,’ Rovaniemi is now described as ‘close to the Arctic Circle’

Santa Claus in a shopping centre at Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland (Simon Calder)

As British families with expensive trips planned to Lapland wait anxiously for a heavy snowfall in northern Finland, a leading holiday firm has withdrawn a misleading claim about Santa’s location.

Thomas Cook is one of several firms that offers day trips to the city of Rovaniemi, the largest settlement in Finnish Lapland. Its first departure is on Saturday 1 December.

Until this week, the holiday company described Rovaniemi as “Far inside the Arctic Circle, where the snow is thick and sparkling".

In fact, Rovaniemi is slightly outside the Arctic Circle. The latitude of the city that calls itself “The Official Home of Santa Claus” is 66.5 degrees north – placing the centre five miles outside the Arctic Circle.

After The Independent pointed out the misleading assertion, Thomas Cook changed its description to: “Close to the Arctic Circle, where the snow is white and sparkling.”

Many day trips include Santa Claus Village, which is north of the city and straddles the Arctic Circle. Thomas Cook gives a certificate to all customers who make the official crossing by foot.

The most pressing concern with families who have paid around £500 per person for a day trip to Rovaniemi is the weather.

While Finnish Lapland had a good covering of snow in October, unseasonably warm weather meant that it has melted away. There has been a light dusting of snow in the past week in Rovaniemi.

Two other holiday companies, Transun and Tui, have cancelled their day trips for the coming weekend. But a spokesperson for Thomas Cook said: “We can assure customers that all included activities will go ahead as planned despite the current weather concerns.

“We are in touch with Father Christmas and his elves who are helping to make sure everything is ready for our guests’ arrival, and we are contacting customers to help with any questions they may have.”

Circle line: the claim, now withdrawn, about the location for Santa day trips (Thomas Cook)

The “Santa season” is normally highly lucrative for travel firms. Early December is the time of year when demand for package holidays is lowest; Thomas Cook is offering a week in the Canaries for £171, including flights, transfers and accommodation, departing Gatwick on 3 December. Yet the firm is also selling day trips from Birmingham to Lapland on 1 December at £503.

On Tuesday, Thomas Cook’s share price fell by about a quarter after the firm issued its second profits warning in two months.

The Finnish city has published a guide to snow-free activities with the title: “No Snow – 10 Amazing Things to Do in Rovaniemi Without It.”

The advice says: “We cannot tell when permanent snow comes, because we don’t know.

“It comes sooner or later, normally at the end of November, but some years we have had to wait until December. With or without snow, there’s plenty to do in Rovaniemi.”

Among the options is the chance to swim in water of 4 degrees, for a price of €3. To use the adjacent “tent sauna” costs an additional €5, cash only.