Mikael Ahlerup Appointed Chairman at Sweden’s Tomteland
Tomteland owners Tommy and Camilla Collett with incoming Chairman of the Board Mikael Ahlerup in the centre. Photo: Courtesy of Tomteland
(eap) Most readers will remember him as the former head of Astrid Lindgren’s World in Vimmerby, and he has also worked for the Norwegian Lund Group, among others – At the turn of the year, Mikael Ahlerup will take over as Chairman of the Board of the Swedish fairy tale park Tomteland near the city of Mora, marking his return to the leisure industry. “I’m proud and honored to have been asked to take on the role of Chairman of the Board of The Fairyland and Santapark in Mora”, says Ahlerup. He continues, “The park is a unique destination with only live actors in built up fairytale and fantasy settings that I have followed some time from afar and been impressed by the development that has occurred since the Collett family took over. […] The park already has a strong position in the region and great potential – both as a visitor destination and as an important engine for the tourism industry and tourism in Dalarna and Sweden.”
The theme park, located in the forests of the central Swedish province of Dalarna by Lake Siljan, has so far been best known for its Christmas offering. From the end of November until Christmas, the 18-hectare site welcomes its visitors with a festive programme centred around the “Jultomte” (Eng.: Santa Claus), while enchanting mythical creatures such as elves, gnomes and trolls from Nordic mythology create a fairy-tale atmosphere in the park with their performances and live shows during other seasonal occasions and events throughout the year. With the appointment of Mikael Ahlerup as Chairman of the Board, the Collett family, who owns the park, is setting an important milestone in its strategic development. In the long term, the park’s profile is to be gradually shifted away from the original Christmas theme towards becoming a year-round destination. The overarching theme of fairy tales and fantasy is to be placed more strongly at the centre to reach a broader audience. Since 2018, the park has been owned and operated by Camilla and Tommy Collett. To be able to increasingly focus on the shows as well as on the park’s further development and investment plans, a new external CEO is also planned to be appointed soon. ■
