Tourists visit Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/James Brooks) AP International ...

ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of ...

The Santa Claus Village theme park, which attracts more than 600,000 people annually, is especially popular during the holiday season. “This is like my dream came true,” beamed Polish visitor ...

Tourists visit Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/James Brooks) ...

Tourists visit Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/James Brooks) ...

But Rovaniemi knew it was onto something. In 2009, the city trademarked itself as “the Official Hometown of Santa Claus.” And the area had another big draw, in the northern lights.