Over 113,000 Visitors in Siida in 2015 – Impact on Local Economy in Inari 2.63 Million Euros

According to a study made by the Finnish Museums Association, every museum visitor spends an average of 49.40 euros in the area in connection with a visit to a museum. On the basis of the 2015 visitor numbers, Siida’s visitors to the exhibitions and events of the house have yielded the total amount of 2.63 million euros to Inari.

With 113,474 guests visiting Siida in 2015, the visitor counter by the main entrance of the Sámi Museum and Northern Lapland Nature Centre Siida has knocked fast. The number recorded includes both the visitors to exhibitions and events and the customers of the Nature Centre’s hiking information, Restaurant Sarrit and Siida Shop.

The outstanding numbers are partly a result of a boom in winter tourism to Inari, but also of the high-quality changing and permanent exhibitions of Siida. The versatile services of Siida attract both domestic and foreign visitors. With the increase in visitor numbers, the extension of the Siida Building, scheduled for near future, is definitely needed. At present, both the public and the collections facilities of Siida are too small, and the content and the display methods of the permanent exhibitions need to be renewed. The planning of the extention has been launched, and Siida is presently applying for investment financing.

Siida had more than 53,000 visitors to its exhibitions and events last time in 2007. The number 53,232 for such visitors is clearly higher than in the last seven years, when the number was always below 50,000. From 2014, the number of visitors to exhibits has increased by 13%.

The share of foreign visitors to exhibits grew from the year 2014: in 2015, the number of foreign visitors was 57% and that of domestic ones 43%. The biggest nationalities among foreigners were the Germans (4551) and the French (4495). The third biggest group was the visitors from China/Hong Kong (2228); their number increased by 81% from 2014. In 2015, the visitors of Siida represented altogether 83 countries/nationalities. Thus, Siida is indeed an extremely important destination for international travellers visiting Lapland.

Even today, the summer months are clearly busier than the winter months for Siida. In July, the house had 10,734 guests visiting the exhibitions. However, the number of visitors in the December of 2015 – 3464 guests – was higher than in any other December. The previous December record was from the year 2014, when the exhibitions were visited by altogether 2640 guests.

Further information:

Sámi Museum Siida, tel. +358 400 898 212, siida(a)samimuseum.fi

Nature Centre Siida, tel. +358 206 39 7740, siida(a)metsa. fi