Popularity of virtual Santa Claus grows

Santa Claus' popularity is increasing also virtually. The ten-year-old Santatelevision.com, an Internet television channel focusing on Santa Claus, his elves, Christmas around the world and northern lights, expects a million visitors this Christmas. This means that the channel is expected to have a 25 per cent growth this year. Tommi Lappalainen, the CEO of Santatelevision -producer Joulupukki TV Ltd, bases this estimation on the growth of early winter 2009.

The popularity of Santatelevision has increased continuously since it first started. Since Christmas 2001 the channel's visitor numbers have increased by 20-30 per cent every year. The TV-channel can be viewed in 12 different languages. The most viewed videos feature Santa Claus himself, although northern lights and husky-videos have also proven to be popular.

Lappalainen considers Santa Claus' Internet TV-channel important in promoting Lapland both in Finland and overseas. According to him the website with all its language options links tens of thousands of visitors with cooperators and clients of the service every year.

The producer of Santatelevision, Joulupukki TV Ltd, was established in 2000. Besides the Internet TV-channel, the company produces also DVD-postcards and video services for tourism. According to Lappalainen the channel was established about eight years too early, since promoting and marketing tourism through Internet videos has only broken through during the last year and a half.

www.santatelevision.com