They’re getting sick of it already. Tourists who want to experience our country. Fjords, mountains, stave churches and everything Norwegian. And Norway is becoming increasingly popular. A report from Menon predicts that the tourism industry will grow by a third until 2030. For Stein Ove Rolland in Fjord Noreg AS, this is a great opportunity. And a problem they have to deal with. – Must use the entire region Fjord Norway is an umbrella organization for tourism in the three western counties. They work a lot to market Vestlandet to operators abroad. – We are busy that the whole part of the country is being put into use. For example, the coast of the region is an undiscovered gem for foreigners, says Rolland. Despite dark clouds on the horizon, Stein Ove Rolland sees a bright future for tourism. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news A taste of the coast At Austevoll, a new grey-brown hotel towers over the traditional guest house town of Bekkjarvik. It is far from tourist chaos in the island municipality. But the hotel director at Beckerwyc House believes they will become a popular tourist destination. – What nett no has to offer is “spot on” on the trends that apply to nett no, says Rønnaug Nymark. – Here there is peace and quiet. You get close to people and the local community. And then I focus on quality in experiences and food. Beckerwyc House was ready for midsummer 2023. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news With master chef Ørjan Johannessen as head of the kitchen and part owner, they believe they have that little extra that makes them chosen by tourists who want to experience something genuinely Norwegian. – But we don’t do this to make money, says Johannessen. – We want to showcase the coastal culture and the raw materials from here. We probably have to adjust to a bit of a spirit of service. The master chef grew up in Bekkjarvik. His family owns the inn and the new hotel Beckerwyc. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Tourist season all year round Fjord Norway has used the hotel at Austevoll for marketing purposes. They have had many trips here with tourism operators. – In Lofoten, for example, there has long been a focus on overtourism, without the problem being solved. Is it possible to decide where the tourists will travel? – Through visitor management, we can do that. We may have capacity limitations at the ports. There are several tools we can use, says Rolland. Fjord Norway does not just want to spread the tourists geographically. They also want to extend the season so that there will not be too many tourists in the summer. Winter tourism up 32 per cent – The first goal is to extend the summer season. Then we will invest in autumn and winter tourism, says Stein Ove Rolland. Already, extra flight routes have been set up from several countries for what is called the shoulder season. They are already seeing the results. Figures from Avinor show that more people come in winter From January to the end of April this year, 157,315 foreign tourists landed at the international airports in Western Norway. This is an increase of 32 per cent compared to 2023. This is something they notice in the traditional tourist areas. – We see that more leisure travelers come in the shoulder season. This applies to both individual travelers and groups, says Erlend Lundblad. Hotel manager at Hardangerfjord Hotell in Øystese. Now he is sitting with the orders for the autumn. It is crucial to be able to have stable staffing all year round, he says. Published 25.06.2024, at 20.50
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Fears tourist chaos in Western Norway – wants to lure travelers away from the fjords – news Vestland
