Santa’s Lapland has reported another sell-out festive season thanks in part to a new ‘theatrical tourism’ concept.
The seasonal packages from the Hotelplan UK operator feature flights to Saariselkä in Finland plus transfers, half-board accommodation, activities and snowsuits.
Joe Ponte, chief executive of Hotelplan UK, told a Travel Weekly webcast: “We’ve just had another super successful season again, the second year in a row we sold at exactly the same percentage, with 99.4% sold for the season.
“That essentially means it’s sold out.”
He said part of the success was thanks to working with a theatrical consultant over the past two years to develop a narrative for the holidaymakers – and the learnings from Santa’s Lapland could be applied to other brands in the group.
“There is a beautiful narrative that flows through the whole trip for the kids. It’s even more magical,” he told the webcast.
“We are good at partnering with these guys on this theatrical tourism…so that is where we start to think about ‘well, where else could that take us outside of Santa?’”
He said the holiday experience is a search for “the real Santa” which aims to create an “absolute moment of magic” when parents and kids get to meet the man himself.
Ponte visited with his wife last year – without their kids who are now too old – but he said: “Even without kids, she got teary when she got to see Santa.”
He said Trustpilot scores “have been through the roof” but the operator is continuing to develop the programme.
“We want to continue to create air between us and our competitors. We are the market leader up there,” he told the webcast.
“But you only maintain that by continuing to invest in everything.”
More: Hotelplan brands ‘not affected’ by group sale, says chief