The latest hotel-development at Levi-Kittilä. Photo: Odd Iglebaek
The municipality of Kittilä is in the Lappish part of Finland. The landscape here is relatively flat, covered with forests, and is approximately 200 metres above sea-level. To the north mountains gradually rise above the plains. One of these is the Levi, which rises above the small village of Sirkka where the mountain stretches like a huge sugar-top some 330 metres above the village. The slopes provide excellent conditions for ski-lifts, slalom and downhill racing. In the woods it is cross-country that is popular – either by ski or snow-scooters – and all is provided by nature free of charge!
- This all started some thirty years ago when there were only some 200 tourist-beds here. But some saw the potential and managed to raise capital, partly local but mostly from Helsinki and other parts of Finland. The growth of the resort has been quite formidable and we are now, definitively, the largest ski-resort in Finland.
It is Seppo Maula, Kittilä's Municipal Manager, who presents the figures. The Municipal Manager's job is a full-time one – a combination of mayor and director - although he is politically elected. Mr. Maula took up the position 16 years ago. He represents the Centre (farmers) party, like the majority of municipal-heads in northern Finland.
- Without doubt tourism is our most important industry enabling us to survive as a community. Out of our yearly tax-incomes of 20 million euros we receive two-thirds from tourism, he says and continues: - We hope also to expand further particularly in the seasonal-homes and hotel sectors. The goal is to reach 35 000 beds by 2020.
Kittilä municipality has just over 6000 inhabitants and is continuing to grow, albeit only a little. – I guess that without tourism we would only have had some 4000 people living here, says Seppo Maula. The area is 8600 km2 meaning that, in geographical terms, Kittilä is the third largest municipality in Finland.
Full-time jobs related to tourism number around 1000 and without doubt tourism is the most important sector for employment. In the high season up to 1 700 people work in this field. Unemployment is around 10 percent, which is not particularly high for this part of Finland. In other communities with similar locations it is often double that.
Just across the other side of Kittilä's eastern border, in the municipality of Kolari, there is another sugar-top-mountain, the Ylläs. The story here is similar to that of Levi with Ylläs also passing the 20 000 beds mark.
- The airport at Kittilä serves both resorts with overall traffic increasing by 20 percent yearly and by 30 percent for flights from abroad, mostly from Great Britain, Russia, France and the Netherlands, explains Seppo Maula: - Our strategy is first to get people to come perhaps for one-day to see Santa and thereafter to get them to return for skiing and to stay for a whole week or more.
At this time of the year, mid-August, we are in low-season for tourism. Only a few golfers and some berry-pickers are to be found here. Close to the top of Levi there is however hectic activity connected with the building of a new hotel. A handful of reindeer sweep by checking progress at the building site. The air is clear and some 20 km to the east it is possible to see the steam from the processing-plant at the new gold-mine which has just opened at Kiistila.
- Of course we are very happy about the mine. It creates another 400 full time year-round jobs, underlines the mayor.
- You also have uranium in Kittliä. Other parts of Finland have experienced very difficult debates within the local communities ripe for the extraction of this nuclear substance?
- We are very lucky in this respect however as we can easily say no, since we are already so relatively well-off for jobs. Indeed we are now among the top-ten municipalities in Finland with the brightest economic futures, smiles Seppo Maulo.
Checking progress at the new hotel site in Levi.
Photo: Odd Iglebaek
Seppo Maula, Municipal Manager of Kittilä.
Photo: Odd Iglebaek
By Odd Iglebaek