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Jokkmokk Market nominated for the Grand Tourism Award 2026
Arctic Sweden Visitors Board has named Jokkmokk Market, Jåhkåmåhke márnána, as Norrbotten’s candidate for the Grand Tourism Award 2026. With more than 400 years of unbroken tradition, strong Sámi roots and a unique ability to bring together cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, knowledge and community development, the market is a meeting place with significance far beyond Jokkmokk’s municipal borders.
The Grand Tourism Award is presented each year to an organisation that, in an innovative and sustainable way, helps develop Sweden’s hospitality sector and actively shares knowledge in the field. The 21 candidates are nominated by their respective counties and represent different examples of how the hospitality sector can contribute to attractive, thriving places across Sweden.
In 2026, Norrbotten’s nomination goes to one of the county’s best-known and longest-running meeting places: Jokkmokk Market.
“Jokkmokk Market is a very strong example of how tradition and development can go hand in hand. It has clear local and Sámi roots, while continuing to renew itself and create value for businesses, residents and visitors alike. Its significance reaches far beyond Jokkmokk, which makes it a very worthy representative for Norrbotten in the Grand Tourism Award,” says Annika Fredriksson, CEO of Arctic Sweden Visitors Board.
Since 1606, people have gathered in Jokkmokk for trade and meetings. Today, the market is an international arena in the heart of the Arctic winter, where Sámi culture, local enterprise, art, literature, research and current social issues come together.
“This nomination is recognition of all the cultural creators, businesses and volunteers who shape Jokkmokk Market. The people of Jokkmokk have a long history of hospitality and trade to build on, but what truly sets our market apart is the scope and breadth of the programme. There’s something for everyone!” says Ylva Maria Pavval, communications strategist at Jokkmokk Municipality.
A living cultural heritage in constant development
A key reason for the nomination is the market’s ability to evolve without losing its roots in the place and its history. Here, Sámi culture is not an add-on to the market, but a driving force.
Duodji, joik, language, storytelling, reindeer caravans and Arctic cuisine meet, among other things, art, literature, research and public debate. Visitors get to meet craftspeople, reindeer herders, entrepreneurs, cultural creators and other knowledge bearers, while traditional knowledge is passed on and given new contexts.
The market has also shown a strong capacity for renewal. When a physical market could not be held during the pandemic, a digital market was created with live-streamed cultural features and a shared e-commerce solution. The digital market reached over 100,000 visitors in 2021 and opened up new opportunities for small businesses and Sámi cultural practitioners to reach customers far beyond the region.
All of Jokkmokk becomes an arena
Jokkmokk Municipality is the main organiser, but the market is created by many more. Sámi institutions, businesses, associations, the church, vendors, researchers, cultural creators and residents all contribute to the content. During market week, the entire community is brought into play, and streets, museums, shops, stages and public spaces become parts of the same meeting place.
In 2026, the programme included more than 240 events, ranging from trade, exhibitions and cultural experiences to seminars, workshops and talks on topics including climate, land use, reindeer husbandry and societal transition.
In this way, Jokkmokk Market is not only an event, but also an arena for knowledge exchange. Research and current social issues meet local and traditional knowledge, while businesses, associations and cultural actors develop new collaborations, offerings and ways of working.
A driving force for Jokkmokk and all of Norrbotten
The market’s importance is also evident economically. It provides Sámi and local businesses with an important arena for sales, networking and international visibility, and creates demand for accommodation, food, retail and activities during a period when the winter season might otherwise be weaker.
In 2025, a visitor record was set when 53,500 people came to the market over three days, in a community of around 3,000 residents. The effects do not stop at the municipal border either. Visitors stay and travel in several parts of the county and combine their market visit with other experiences in Norrbotten.
“The market creates great value for our local business community and for society as a whole. Over a few intense days, our businesses get the chance to meet many new customers and visitors, while Jokkmokk gains national and international visibility that is important in the longer term as well. The nomination is a wonderful recognition of the drive and commitment surrounding the market,” says municipal manager Lars Eriksson.
“The nominees show the strength of Sweden’s hospitality sector. They develop places, create jobs, build pride and attract people from near and far through innovation, collaboration and strong hospitality,” says Katrien Vanhaverbeke, Chair of the Foundation for the Promotion of Knowledge in Tourism, in a press release.
Tradition, innovation and sustainable development
The Grand Tourism Award assesses the nominees based on new thinking and innovation, knowledge sharing, and focused work on economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Jokkmokk Market brings all three perspectives together. It creates economic opportunities for businesses and cultural practitioners, helps ensure Sámi knowledge and culture are passed on between generations, and brings people together around issues that are crucial to the future of Arctic Sweden. At the same time, the event is continuously developed, including through digital accessibility, collaboration and structured environmental work.
It is precisely this combination that underpins Arctic Sweden Visitors Board’s nomination: a tradition more than 400 years old that is not only preserved, but continues to evolve and create value for people who live, work and visit Norrbotten.
The nominees from each county:
Jokkmokk Market, Norrbotten
Blå Huset, Västerbotten
Höga Kusten Open-Air Theatre, Västernorrland
Swedish Biathlon, Jämtland Härjedalen
Trolska Skogen, Gävleborg
Tällbergsgruppen, Dalarna
Borgviks gård, Värmland
Alfred Nobel’s Björkborn, Örebro County
Minature Kingdom, Västmanland
Kustvy, Uppsala County
Lidingöloppet, Stockholm County
Smögen Art Light Festival, Västra Götaland
Osprey Farm Studio, Södermanland
Arbetets museum, Östergötland
Pastamakarna Fårö, Gotland
Hotel Slottsvillan, Jönköping County
Skrea Backe, Halland
Linné’s Råshult, Kronoberg
Solliden Palace, Kalmar County
Albinsson & Sjöberg, Blekinge
Norrviken Gardens, Skåne
About the Grand Tourism Award
The Grand Tourism Award is presented by the Foundation for the Promotion of Knowledge in Tourism, with the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth as principal. Each county selects a candidate through the regional tourism organisation or equivalent. In 2026, the Grand Tourism Award will be presented for the 33rd consecutive year and is awarded to an organisation that, in an innovative and sustainable way, helps develop Sweden’s hospitality sector and actively shares knowledge in the field. This year’s winner will be announced on December 1 in Stockholm.
