High above the Aurlandsfjord is the Stegastein viewpoint. Here, tourists can look out over the entire unique fjord landscape. Ana Sofia Ashida and Daniel Schöndube have come here from Guadalajara in Mexico. They are on a driving holiday in Norway. On this day at the end of May, it is nine degrees, cloudy and a little windy. – It’s actually quite nice to escape the heat at home in Mexico now, they say. The tourism organization Visit Norway reports that there is a record high interest in taking the holiday to Norway in 2023. Figures from Virke show that overnight stays in Norway with tourists from countries such as Spain, Italy and France have increased in 2022 compared to 2019. Although it may also be many reasons for that, tourism director Audun Pettersen in Virke believes that the climate will affect travel patterns in the future. – In the medium and long term, I am convinced that heat waves will to a greater extent govern the choice of travel destination. Who wants to be stuck with the air conditioning on holiday? – It’s actually quite nice to escape the suffocating heat at home in Mexico now, say Daniel Schöndube and Ana Sofia Ashida from Guadalajara in Mexico. – As long as the rain doesn’t ruin the view, it makes no difference. We tolerate a little water, says Neil Harrison from Edinborough in Scotland. – We like all the forces of nature. A little rain and a little sun are perfectly fine for us, say Emilie and Priyank Shah from London, England Tourism researcher: – The weather is also Instagram-friendly Veronica Blumenthal is a tourism researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics. She points out that New Zealand has embraced all the weather it can offer. – There they advertise that if it rains, you are lucky. Then all the waterfalls down towards the fjords come into view. – And they have a lot of rain. The experience is also related to expectations. If tourists travel to Norway expecting blue skies, they can quickly become a little disappointed when they do not get the weather that the brochure showed. – Uvêr is also Instagram-friendly. They have to show what is unique about, for example, autumn, which tourists don’t get if they travel here in the summer, she says. Uvêt can become an attraction for even more tourists. Here from Lofoten. Photo: Tommy Johansen – The weather can enhance an experience Arve Tokvam in the tourism company Norway’s best in Flåm says the tourism industry must use bad weather in marketing if we are to succeed in year-round tourism. – We Norwegians are preoccupied with good weather. Then I automatically think that others will also want it, but I see that it is not as careful for the tourists, he says. He adds: – Slightly challenging weather can provide a spectacular experience. Arve Tokvam in Norway’s best in Flåm. Photo: Sondre Dalaker / news In Odda, the rain has just let up when news meets tourists who are packing up their camp and getting ready for the next leg of their Norwegian holiday. – Sun and blue skies are best. The mountains and fjords are at their best in the sun. If it rains all day, it’s boring, but some cities are fine, says Hilde Steijlen from the Netherlands, who is on a motorhome holiday with her husband in Hardanger. – Rain doesn’t ruin the holiday. It might have been nicer with the sun all the time, but we have to take it as it comes, says German Marie Blumentritt. Marie Blummentritt from Germany spent the morning in Odda inside the car to avoid the rain. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Klimaforskar: – Gloomy In the middle of the fjord landscape, Carlo Aall has his office. He works with climate and sustainability at Vestlandsforsking in Sogndal. The researcher also notes that climate change is driving more travelers to Norway. – We are starting to see signs that summer tourists are fleeing a hot Europe, he says. Uvêt can become an attraction for even more tourists. Here from Lofoten. Photo: Tommy Johansen As an example, last year he met two different motorhome tourists who used to travel to Spain, but now it was Norway because Spain had become too hot. – If it gets too hot in Europe, tourists will move north. But there is nothing to cheer about, he says. Because climate change may in the future lead to a greater pattern of migration with more pressure on certain countries. Then it’s not just about people wanting to holiday in a colder climate. At the Stegastein viewpoint in Aurland, enjoy Neil Harrison’s view of the fjord. He is no stranger to either snow, rain or wind in his native Scotland. – It is the view over the fjord and the forest that we come for. Not heaven. We can see blue skies everywhere. Sun and heat were not what attracted Scottish Neil Harrison to the West Country. Photo: Sondre Dalaker / news
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Norwegian stormy weather can attract more tourists to Norway – news Vestland
