Northern lights family vacation, tailor made

Planet

Saariselka is a small ski resort in the North East of Finnish Lapland. A region where tourism has increasingly become the mainstay of the economy, as other traditional industries have dwindled.
The Northern Lights Village sits around 500m from the village on the outskirts of the resort and on the edge of the wilderness. Being adjacent to such a wild and untouched region, it is, of course, vital that any new development such as the amazing Northern Lights Village is critically aware of its responsibilities to the environment and the local community.

This pick and mix vacation, allows families to design their own vacation, and tailor their time whilst staying in the Aurora Cabin accommodation for which the village is famed.

The buildings here were all constructed in the last 3 years and so they have implemented as many modern technologies as possible when it comes to energy efficiency.

The main restaurant building is geothermally heated.

All buildings were built using sustainably certified wood from a local timber supplier.

All lighting systems have been designed to be as efficient as possible, so they are activated by motion sensors and are all LEDs. The default settings for lighting in all cabins are low light. Not only does this reduce energy consumption but also reduces light pollution and improves the chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

Throughout the Northern Lights Village, waste materials are recycled where at all possible and guests are very much encouraged to ensure they also recycle waste. Food waste is kept to a minimum too and guests are encouraged to avoid the use of any single-use plastics.
Many activities begin on-site and so the use of vehicular transfers is reduced. Transfers, in general, are grouped where possible and shuttles to and from the town to the village are also by shared minibus.
The activities, of course, operate a strict leave no trace policy and any wood used in lighting fires is sustainably sourced.

Dog sledding, reindeer safaris, snowshoe trips and cross-country skiing all utilise marked trails to minimise the impact on the local environment and group sizes for all activities are limited. Animal welfare is of course vitally important, and all animals featured in the safaris are exceptionally well cared for and certified with all the necessary veterinary inspections.

When operating snowmobile safaris, all the tours utilise the cleaner 4 stroke engines and only marked and maintained trails are utilised. Snowmobiles are very much a daily mode of transport here and they replace the use of cars and 4 x 4 vehicles during activities and within the local community. As this is a tailored vacation then guests can, of course, decide whether they would like to take part in any snowmobile safaris or not.

We fully appreciate the impact of tourist visits on local communities and their residents and strive to ensure that we are having a positive effect. We always encourage all of our clients to respect and embrace the lives and culture of local inhabitants by learning a few important words: hello, goodbye, please, thank you etc.

We have also included activities with a cultural base on our vacation. In addition, we always encourage our clients to get involved in local events and activities which help to sustain traditional values and customs.

In all of our destinations, we ensure that we use local suppliers, enabling locally owned businesses and the economies in which they work to benefit directly.

Our suppliers in Luosto provide a vital source of employment throughout the whole region. The restaurant serves as much local produce as possible. Many of our safaris in Luosto also utilise other local enterprises such as the amethyst mine and the remote smoke sauna and restaurant we use in one of our activities is the primary income for a local couple.

Through the tourism multiplier effect, this all helps to generate incomes and employment where the drift might otherwise be towards larger employment areas such as towns and cities. In a small and remote village such as Saariselka, the effects of such a drift could be devastating.

The use of small businesses means that the tourism income, generated by our presence, stays where it should, in the local economy. We firmly believe in paying a fair price for all the services provided by our suppliers regardless of where they are in the world.

Our vacations rely on visiting beautiful and un-spoilt areas, and they don't come more unspoilt than Saariselka. Naturally, we wish to maintain the natural settings in which we work, not just for the future of our company, but also for future generations. We always insist that our local providers are equally conscious of this.

The wooden chalets that we use as accommodation are built using sustainable timbers and are all extremely well insulated to ensure maximum efficiency.

We do appreciate that some may feel that snowmobiles should not be included in such itineraries however in areas such as Luosto they are a way of life. They are the only means of keeping in contact with remote reindeer herders and communities as the road infrastructure is not extensive.

All trails are well managed. The alternatives to snowmobiles would in most cases be large, gas-guzzling off-road vehicles. All snowmobiles are regularly serviced and kept as fuel-efficient as possible. Our suppliers also utilise new 4-stroke engines that are less polluting.

The snowmobile service industry is also another vital source of employment in these remote areas. We always ensure that all litter is removed from any of our activity sites, we strongly encourage group transfers to reduce traffic volumes and we make our clients aware of their obligation to the environment.

People

The local family who own the Northern Lights Village, very much share our passion for wanting to ensure that any economic and social benefits of tourism remain in the local area and so utilising local suppliers and local employees is something which they always try to do.

The ski resort of Saariselka, of course, has a limited season from around December to April. The Northern Lights Village and the local tourist board have been working hard to reduce the seasonality of visitors in the region to improve full-time employment opportunities.

Since the inception of the village, 15 construction jobs were created and due to the increase in the size of the village, many of these roles have been sustained. 25 jobs have been created which now span the Autumn, Winter and Spring seasons, thus covering September through to April and there is now also significant employment planned for the summer months.

In total 15 year-round jobs have been provided in the area, which is a significant number. The owners have also invested in training local guides and, and there is a strong desire to employ as many local young people as possible. The aim is to try and create real career opportunities which help curb the rural-urban migration which inevitably occurs in such remote areas.

These jobs are in addition to any indirect positions which have been created through the tourism multiplier effect as some activity elements are outsourced to local suppliers, food is purchased locally where possible, and as much off-site construction as is feasible takes place within Lapland.

Families also have the chance to gain an insight into the local way of life in the region here if they choose to take part in some of the more cultural activities.

We offer activities which visit the Sami Siida Museum in Inari, the home of Sami culture in Lapland as well as a day trip to the tiny village of Nellim on the Russian border. Both of which offer the chance to learn about life in Lapland both in the past and the present.

There are also opportunities to learn about the traditions of reindeer herding, which still very much exist in this wild region and are truly memorable and informative experience for families of all ages.