POSTMODERN TOURISM - THE SANTA CLAUS INDUSTRY

In the 1980s, Finnish tourist authorities launched a new tourism strat egy for the province of Lapland. It was designated ''Santa Claus Land' ' and marketing plans and tourist attractions were developed around th is theme. The centerpiece of the strategy was the Santa Claus Village in the city of Rovaniemi. This study examines the development of a San ta Claus industry in Lapland, and applies critical theory to develop a n understanding of why tourists visit such attractions. It is argued t hat Santa Claus acts as a marker for the intangible attraction of Chri stmas, and that Santa Claus has become increasingly commodified, allow ing tourists to consume intangible concepts such as Christmas.