KAYAK puts Rovaniemi Christmas hotel rates down 22%

KAYAK’s travel-trends study put Rovaniemi hotel prices 22% lower for December 19-January 9 travel, Euronews reported in an article on October 20.

The October 20 Euronews article said KAYAK based the figures on flight and hotel searches made from April 1 to September 1, compared with the same period last year.

Rovaniemi, the Finnish Lapland city marketed as the home of Santa Claus, averaged €275 a night in KAYAK’s data. The drop was larger than the 12% decline for Istanbul, where average hotel prices were €76 a night, and the 5% fall for Paris, where they averaged €140.

Other European hotel markets in the data also showed lower prices. Adeje in Spain and York in the UK were each down 8%, at €235 and £96, or €114, a night respectively.

The declines were not limited to Europe. KAYAK’s data showed Koh Samui hotel prices down 21% to €115 a night, Bangkok down 20% to €76, Tokyo down 19% to €110 and Singapore down 13% to €164. The Maldives fell 10% to €916, New York was down 11% to €273 and Fort-de-France in Martinique was down 10% to €123.

Airfares varied by departure market. For travellers from France, KAYAK listed return flights to Milan from €126, Brussels from €153, Venice and Berlin from €161, and London from €169.

For Germany, Milan also ranked among the lower-priced routes, with an average return fare of €116. Rome was listed from €169, Vienna from €170, Paris from €190 and London from €192.

From the UK, KAYAK’s lower-priced return options included Dublin from £127, or €151, Barcelona from £131, Milan from £142, and Prague or Madrid from £143. The figures are search-based indications of quoted prices, not reported airline revenue or confirmed booking totals.

Timing also differed by market. Euronews said Expedia data published earlier in 2026 indicated international flights are generally best booked 15 to 30 days before travel, while KAYAK’s Christmas data pointed to December decreases for Germany, the week before Christmas for France and about six weeks before Christmas for the UK.

KAYAK’s data put December 23 as the lowest-priced flying day for French and British travellers, and December 21 for German travellers. New Year’s Eve was the cheapest day to fly out across all three countries, according to the article.

For hotels, the article said French domestic accommodation rates were about 18% lower than in October during the week before Christmas, while international rates were around 7% lower from late November to December. Germany’s two weeks before Christmas offered rates 9% below peaks in mid-November. In the UK, waiting until the two weeks before December 25 could save 16% internationally and 20% domestically.

The data also showed lower long-haul flight prices on some winter-sun routes. KAYAK put fares from Germany to Lima down 29%, from the UK to Agadir down 26%, and from France to Casablanca and Rabat down 19% compared with 2025.

Source: Euronews article, October 20, 2026.