British families have expressed outrage at travel operator Tui after learning their costly Christmas holidays marketed as "Lapland" trips will actually take them to a destination roughly 300 miles away from the region.
Customers who booked what they believed were festive getaways to Father Christmas's homeland have discovered they are instead being sent to Arctic Lakeland in Finland's Kainuu region, situated considerably further south and famous for being an industrial hotbed.
The city of Rovaniemi, which bills itself as Santa's official hometown, draws thousands of UK visitors annually seeking an authentic winter wonderland experience.
However, Tui's Facebook customer service page has been flooded with complaints from holidaymakers who feel deceived by the company's advertising.
Chris Wals, who arranged what he thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime family trip, paid £5,800 for the Christmas experience only to discover the destination was nowhere near the real Lapland.
"I feel totally mis-sold," he said, adding that he had "unfortunately trusted TUI to send me to Lapland" when making the booking.
His accommodation at Hotel Kajanus, which has a 3.4-star rating on Tripadvisor, was listed under "Arctic Lakeland, Lapland" on the booking.
When Mr Wals enquired about transferring to genuine Lapland, he claims the company informed him it would require an additional £5,000.
The city of Rovaniemi in Lapland attracts thousands of Britons every Christmas
|GETTY
"I feel I've promised the kids Lapland and it isn't," he said.
Several other customers have voiced similar grievances about feeling misled by the tour operator.
Ben Lloyd expressed doubts about his December booking to Vuokatti, stating: "I'm very sceptical about the Tui package we have booked for December to Vuokatti, sold as Lapland but strictly not."
Vicky Skinner, who is spending £4,000 on a trip to Ruka, said: "It's clearly not Lapland despite being advertised as such", calling the marketing "misleading."
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One tourist who wished to remain anonymous described feeling "massively misled" after realising the destination was not genuine Lapland.
Another holidaymaker warned that the area contained "plastic touristy fake stuff" rather than an authentic Arctic experience.
In response to complaints, a Tui staff member acknowledged on Facebook that Arctic Lakeland sits "just south of Finnish Lapland, in the northernmost part of the Lakeland region."
The company representative described the area as "beautiful" and "known for its pristine lakes, taiga forests and rich cultural heritage."
Despite conceding the destination is not within the Lapland region itself, Tui maintained that Arctic Lakeland provides "the same magical winter experiences" as the genuine article.
These activities, according to the company, include opportunities to witness the Northern Lights, husky sledding, snowmobiling, reindeer encounters and meeting Father Christmas.
GB News has contacted Tui for comment.