Jokkmokk Market has been nominated as Norrbotten's candidate for the 2026 Grand Tourism Award. The market is nominated for its ability to combine a more than 400-year-old tradition with Sami culture, entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange and community development.
Since 1606, people have gathered in Jokkmokk for trade and meetings. Today, the market is an international arena in the middle of the Arctic winter, where Sami culture, local entrepreneurship, research and current social issues come together.
The market provides Sami and local businesses with an arena for sales, networking and international visibility. It also creates demand for accommodation, food, trade and activities. In 2025, a visitor record was recorded when 53,500 people came to the market over three days.
– The market creates great value for our local business community and for the entire society. During a few intensive days, our companies have the opportunity to meet many new customers and visitors, while Jokkmokk gains visibility nationally and internationally, which is also important in the longer term. The nomination is a nice recognition of the power and commitment that exists around the market, says Lars Eriksson, municipal manager at Jokkmokk Municipality.
A living cultural heritage
Sami culture is a driving force in the market. Duodji, yoik, language, storytelling, reindeer herding and Arctic meals meet art, literature, research and social debate. Visitors will meet craftsmen, reindeer herders, entrepreneurs, cultural creators and other knowledge bearers.
– This nomination is a recognition of all the cultural creators, companies and non-profit forces that shape Jokkmokk's market. The people of Jokkmokk have a long history of hospitality and trade that we can lean on, but what really sets our market apart is the breadth and depth of the program. There is something for everyone here, says Ylva Maria Pavval, communications strategist at Jokkmokk Municipality.
Jokkmokk Municipality is the main organizer, but the market is created jointly by Sami institutions, companies, associations, vendors, researchers, cultural creators and residents. During the market week, streets, museums, shops and public spaces become parts of the same meeting place.
The program for the 2026 market included more than 240 events, from trade, exhibitions and cultural experiences to seminars and discussions about climate, land use, reindeer herding and societal transformation.
About the Grand Tourism Prize
The Great Tourism Prize is awarded annually to an organization that contributes to the development of the Swedish tourism industry in an innovative and sustainable way and actively shares knowledge. The nominees are judged on the basis of, among other things, new thinking, innovation, knowledge sharing, and economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Each county nominates a candidate and the Arctic Sweden Visitors Board is responsible for the nomination from Norrbotten. The nomination highlights both the importance of the market for the place Jokkmokk and its role in the Swedish tourism industry.
– Jokkmokk's market is a very strong example of how tradition and development can go hand in hand. There is a clear local and Sami anchoring here, while the market continues to innovate and create value for both companies, residents and visitors. It has an importance that extends far beyond Jokkmokk and is therefore a very worthy representative of Norrbotten in the Great Tourism Prize, says Annika Fredriksson, CEO of the Arctic Sweden Visitors Board.
