– It is difficult to obtain housing for employees of tourism companies in Lofoten. We have bought three residential houses which we use, says operations manager at Lofotr Viking Museum, Terje Bøe. Because the tourist boom in Lofoten continues. If we are to believe Bøe, there are even more tourists coming to Lofoten this year, due to the weak krone exchange rate and many Norwegians taking Norwegian holidays this year. Already in May, the tourism industry in Lofoten and NHO Reiseliv expressed the booking boom. 7 out of 10 report the same booking level as last year, or even better, according to NHO Reiseliv’s member survey for June. – A few years ago, we could rent a house for three months, but it has become so expensive that it is not possible, says Bøe. 30,000 a month He says that a few years ago they could rent a house with three bedrooms for NOK 7,000 a month, but they can no longer afford it. – There are also many people who prefer to rent out via Airbnb, but it costs too much, says Bøe. Now large parts of the private market in Lofoten rent out rooms for over NOK 1,000 a night and prioritize short-term rentals over long-term rentals at a more reasonable price. A quick search on Airbnb finds news a house that costs NOK 3,200 a night, with four bedrooms. This corresponds to NOK 24,000 per person for one month. Few seasonal workers can afford that. And it comes on top of the fact that Lofoten has several problems related to the increase in tourism in recent years. Terje Bøe on board one of the Viking boats for the museum. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news news has previously written about trampled nature, littering, faeces in people’s gardens and problems with parking. – There are many people who want to work in Lofoten in the summer too, but they don’t get housing. There simply aren’t enough homes for all the activity here, says Bøe. It is both built too little and rented out too expensively, he believes. Now that tourism in Lofoten is only increasing in scale, also as a year-round destination, the local business community is concerned about the lack of housing. This house is one of those that the Lofotr Viking Museum has bought to house its employees. Photo: PRIVATE Must be built At the Lofotr Viking Museum, there are 100 employees in the summer and up to 120 in the autumn. Most people arrange accommodation themselves, but the museum must be helpful for approx. 25. – If we hadn’t had our own residential buildings, I don’t think we would have been able to house the 25 employees, says Bøe. He believes that when the demand is there, there must be builders who can build. – We have to build cheaper houses, dormitories that can take the top off in the summer. The answer is that more homes must be built. Lofoten is a natural gem that many people want to experience during the summer months. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news Impossible Odin Hetty (19) from Bodø is working as an activist at the Lofotr Viking Museum this summer, where he will teach people to shoot with a bow and arrow, among other things. Together with other workers, he lives in a house close to the longhouse at the museum. He spends the summers in Lofoten, but actually lives in Bodø. – Without the house, I wouldn’t have had anywhere to live here, and then I couldn’t work here. If you do not have a local connection, it is virtually impossible to find a place to live in the local area. – The houses in the museum are used by the seasonal employees, they are here from May to September, it is too short for those who rent out housing. There are also no dormitories at Bøstad, adds Hetty. Odin Hetty stands in front of the house owned by the Lofotr Viking Museum in the middle. Photo: Private Hetty has tried several times to get rented privately, but it has been difficult. – There have been a few seasons where I have tried to find other places to live, but it is difficult to find anything. Especially when I don’t have a car, he says. Bias in the development General manager of Visit Lofoten, Line Samuelsen, confirms that there are difficulties in providing housing for seasonal workers all over Lofoten. – We have spoken to several people who say that they either have to buy homes or rent on a year-round basis to secure their employees homes during the season. She explains that there has been a bias in the development since it is the summer season that has the most pressure. – We have a summer season that demands a lot from us, and I think it is important to develop Lofoten into a year-round travel destination, so that you can have employees all year round, she says. General manager of Visit Lofoten Line Samuelsen believes that the companies must cooperate more to get room for all seasonal workers. Photo: John Inge Johansen Tourism provides opportunities – Isn’t it natural that the tourism industry pays market prices, when they have helped drive up the prices? – It is a value creation for Lofoten that tourism is here. Without that, we would not have had the opportunity to have, for example, restaurants all year round. The value creation in the summer helps us who live here have places to eat and enjoy ourselves also in the low season, Samuelsen points out. She agrees with the companies that something must be done. NOK 30,000 a month is too expensive for most seasonal workers. – We must work towards a more year-round offer, collaborate crosswise and eventually perhaps look at housing development, says Samuelsen.
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Housing shortage in Lofoten – tourism must buy housing to house seasonal workers – news Nordland
