– We have an old saying in the travel industry that says: For Norwegians, the summer holiday is sacred! So says Terje Berge, commercial director for travel at Finn.no. He was recently at a tourism fair in Finland, where Norwegians’ appetite for travel was a topic. Because while the Swedes and Finns are holding back due to, among other things, increased interest rates and high electricity prices, Norwegians are booking like never before. – Figures from Finn Reise, all our partners, charter companies and package travel companies, say the same thing: Norwegians are now the ones who book the most in the Nordic region. Denmark is in second place, followed by Sweden and Finland, where the least number of bookings are made. Rising prices and a weak krone do not deter Norwegians from booking a summer holiday. Right now, we mostly book the Nordics, says Terje Berge, commercial director for travel at Finn.no. Photo: Finn.no – It seems that it is completely inexhaustible. That Norwegians want a summer holiday can be confirmed by sales manager Hilde Karlsen at travel agency Berg-Hansen in Arendal. And it doesn’t just apply to summer holidays. According to Karlsen, many people are now also booking trips for the autumn, Christmas and winter holidays. – We work closely with the big cruise lines, and they say it there too: Norway sells insanely well on cruises. It seems like it is completely inexhaustible, she says. January is normally a busy month for Karlsen and his colleagues in Berg-Hansen: – But this year we might have thought it would be a bit more expensive because of everything that is happening in the world and all the expenses that are going up. But we haven’t noticed anything else. The desire to travel is greater than ever, she says. Sales manager Hilde Karlsen at the travel agency Berg-Hansen is surprised by the large increase in January: – We might have thought it would be a bit more expensive because of everything that is happening in the world and all the expenses that are going up. But we haven’t noticed anything else. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Higher prices, but the same amount of travel And the trips go where they have done in recent years: Spain, Greece and Croatia. – The prices are higher than usual, but people travel just as much, says Hilde Karlsen. Both Berge and Karlsen believe that Norwegians have set aside and saved a lot of money for travel during the pandemic, and that they now have some extra savings that they can use. – It seems that the threshold for what people want to pay is higher than usual. Right now, at least, says Karlsen. Mother of small children Silje Omland finds it surprising that Norwegians are early in booking trips abroad. – I would not have guessed that now that electricity and household goods have become more expensive, she says. Her family is not going on a trip south due to finances and increased expenses. – We will stay in Kristiansand, where we can welcome friends and family, enjoy the city beach and go to Dyreparken. – Maybe people can’t afford it so badly after all, wonders Jan Løken. He and Rita Løken are not going abroad this year. They have a holiday flat in Kristiansand and want to spend the summer in Norway. – It is not always suitable to travel abroad, says Jan. Models Kjøstvedt and Line Sangvik choose to leave trips outside of their joint holiday. – I’m going to Gran Canaria in April, says Kjøstvedt. Sangvik is planning a trip to Cyprus in the autumn, but has not booked yet. – Maybe the electricity price and interest rate increases were not as high as feared, so people can afford a holiday, wonders Line. Malene believes that more people have saved up for travel during the pandemic. Book all inclusive Terje Berge in Finn says the booking figures are a bit surprising, now that the euro is so strong. – That means that both Greece and Spain will be more expensive than usual, he says. – What we see is that more people choose trips that are all inclusive, says Hilde Karlsen. The reason is that the weak krona and strong euro make excursions and especially the costs of food and drink at the destination uncertain. – More people see that if they choose all inclusive, the final sum of the holiday is more predictable. Especially if there are large families. And there are many of them, she says. Many Norwegians dream of Greece, but with a strong euro, the holiday can be more expensive than before. Photo: Petter Strøm / news Wants to go on holiday with the family According to Terje Berge, there is much more traffic on finn.no now than in 2019, before the pandemic. – It is also about people searching much more than usual to find the best offers, says Berge. He says the risk for those who have booked their summer holiday early and received good offers is small: – If something were to happen, then with good cancellation rules, for example on charter holidays, you can cancel and get your money back. But many want to go on holiday with their families, especially after being locked up for two years due to the pandemic. Mallorca is a popular destination for sun-hungry Norwegians. Photo: Petter Strøm / news
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– For Norwegians, the holiday is sacred – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
