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Why I Don’t Use Airbnb

Tor Kjølberg

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November 13, 2024

While Airbnb may be a good option in some areas, I try to avoid it wherever possible when traveling abroad. In this article I reveal why I don’t use Airbnb.

Airbnb, once known for being an incredible and innovative platform for finding unique accommodations around the world, has fallen from grace with many travelers. Airbnb is typically much cheaper than getting a hotel in most places, but that is not always the case, but there are many reasons why I try to avoid Airbnb.

Travelers are tired of exorbitant service fees and cleaning fees, ridiculous rules, misleading listings, missing amenities, and inconsistent quality. But my main reason for choosing a hotel is the negative impact Airbnb has on the local housing market. It has significantly reduced the housing stock and led to higher rent prices for everyone.

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Most of the time, I have also found the prices to be as high as the cost of a hotel. Moreover, the service is not usually as good as it is in a hotel, and I prefer to have my toiletries restocked and towels replaced mor often than an Airbnb host is typically willing to do. As a travel journalist, I have had many great experiences using Airbnb to book private apartments for stays of anywhere from one week to one month in many destinations around the world.

But around the end of 2021, I started noticing a sharp decline in the quality of my Airbnb experiences. There are also some safety and security concerns when using Airbnb that travelers need to be aware of since they could become victims of multiple online scams or put themselves in jeopardy if they are not careful enough.

On one of my travels, I informed the host that I would be arriving late at night and he acknowledged my request to be admitted at the scheduled time. However, I was left out in pouring rain at an apartment building with fifty or so apartments, so I did not know where to go to inquire about my room – the owner only gave the street address of the building. A man outside offered to “sell” me information on where the owner was, but that was not the direction I wanted to go. Since the owner would not answer his phone after multiple attempts, I waited for three hours in the rain for a hotel in a different part of the town to open.

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I found myself dealing with uncommunicative hosts and apartments that didn’t live up to the listing photos. Once, I checked in to an Airbnb, only to find it hadn’t been cleaned at all after the previous guest left, and the WiFi wasn’t working. It took hours of contacting Airbnb support to get this resolved.

The check-in and check-out process of Airbnb can become extremely tedious, making most people lose their patience, especially since their customer service could be better and many hosts do not respond to your messages on time. On average, many people have to wait hours for the host to show up and finally let them enter the property whenever they check in to an Airbnb.

Airbnb style rooms also appear on Expedia and other booking sites. The sites give you options for what type of accommodation you prefer such as “hotel” or “bed and breakfast”. Avoid the choice listed as “apartment” as these are the Airbnb style accommodations. There are many Airbnb groupies out there, and if Airbnb is your speed by all means, book away.

I have had some positive experiences as well, but the negative experiences has outweighed the positive. I simply choose not to risk it when traveling abroad. Expedia is my friend.

Why I Don’t Use Airbnb, written by Tor Kjolberg

Danish Design – Simple, Useful and Straight

Tor Kjølberg

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November 12, 2024

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Danish Design – Simple, Useful and Straight

Award-winning Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz (born 1972) has contributed to the catalogues of manufacturers like Fritz Hansen, Bang & Olufsen, Kasthall, Maruni and Hermes. This is Danish design – simple, useful and straight.

After graduation from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts – The School of Design in 1997 including exchange studies at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Cecilie Manz founded her own studio in Copenhagen in 1998.

Cecilie Manz’ work within furniture, glass, lighting, and ceramics has received international acclaim and is sold and exhibited all over the world. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work—amongst others The Crown Prince Couples Cultural Award and the Three-Year Working Grant from the Danish Arts Foundation.

In 2018, she was named Designer of the Year at Paris Design Fair. In 2019, she was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by French Ministry of Culture. In 1921, she received the Honorable Award from the Danish National Banks Foundation, and this year she was named Designer of the Year at dhe Scandinavian Design Awards.

“My work has always revolved around simplicity, the process of working toward a pure, aesthetic and functional object,” she says. “Nice design and quality, you might call it old-fashioned design virtues, but sometimes it’s as simple as that.”

Danish Design – Simple, Useful and Straight, written by Tor Kjolberg

Feature image (on top): Cecile Manz for B&O.

My Favorite Northern Lights Places in Sweden

Tor Kjølberg

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November 11, 2024

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My Favorite Northern Lights Places in Sweden

“My real favorite is a small village of Norrbotten,” says Ida Lundkvist, an experienced Swedish hiker and nature photographer In this article, “My favorite Northern Lights Places in Sweden”, she lists the most popular places for watching the Northern Lights in Sweden.

“This year I’ve already seen the northern lights in Stockholm archipelago and inland in the summer, which is unusual, both so far south but also to see northern light in the summer in the north would be very rare, “ says Ida. “My favorite spot has always been to walk up a small mountain with my dad close to my parents’ home in a small village in Norrbotten and watch it from there and maybe light up a fire”.

Abisko National Park is known for its clear skies and low light pollution, making it one of the best spots to see the northern lights. The mountainous landscape adds a peaceful backdrop for viewing the aurora.

Kiruna is a popular destination for northern lights viewing, with various accommodation options and nearby attractions like the ice hotel. It’s a convenient spot to experience the lights.

The wide, open view of the sky at Torneträsk Lake makes it a wonderful place to watch the northern lights. Seeing the aurora reflected over the lake is a unique and memorable experience.

The Lapland Wilderness offers a remote setting to watch the northern lights without interruptions. The natural surroundings make it a calm and beautiful place for aurora viewing.

Jokkmokk is known for its Sami culture and beautiful landscape. It’s a nice spot to see the northern lights and learn about local traditions in a scenic environment.

CEO of Norwegian Investment Fund Prefers American Companies over Europeans

Tor Kjølberg

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November 8, 2024

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CEO of Norwegian Investment Fund Prefers American Companies over Europeans

Why? American just work harder, says CEO of Norway’s $1.6 trillion oil fund. So, the CEO of the Norwegian Investment Fund prefers American companies over Europeans.

European companies are falling behind their American counterparts in innovation and technology because of a “mindset issue,” says Nicolai Tangen, CEO of the $1.6 trillion Norges Bank Investment Management. People in Europe are less ambitious and more risk-averse than their US peers, he claims.

Nicolai Tangen leads Nordic behemoth investment fund, which governs the revenue earned by Norway’s oil and gas resources, with the aim of ensuring its benefits are distributed fairly between current and future Norwegian generations.

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“We are not very ambitious. I should be careful about talking about work-life balance, but the Americans just work harder,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times,

Under Tangen’s leadership since 2020, and over the past decade, the $1.6 trillion fund has invested more and more heavily in the U.S. instead of its closer neighbors in Europe – and it’s no coincidence.

CEO of Norwegian Investment Fund Prefer American Companies over Europeans — Last quarter, the fund reported a record $213 billion in profit, boosted by its holdings in booming tech stocks like Nvidia.

The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the largest in the world, has more than 11,000 investments in 72 countries — about 71% of which are in equities. Last quarter, the fund reported a record $213 billion in profit, boosted by its holdings in booming tech stocks like Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia.

“There’s a mindset issue in terms of acceptance of mistakes and risks. If you go bust in America, you get another chance. In Europe, you’re dead,” said Tangen.

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CEO of Norwegian Investment Fund Prefer American Companies over Europeans. The article continues below the illustration.

The chasm in work-life balance between the U.S. and European countries is wide. The European Union, for example, has a mandated four-week paid vacation period across all 27 of its countries. Some countries also require additional paid days off on top of that required period. Meanwhile, in the U.S., nearly one-third of employees say they don’t have any access to paid time off (PTO), according to a 2023 report.

Norway’s wealth fund owns around 1.5 percent of all globally listed shares and has stakes in more than 9,200 firms.

Data suggests that Tangen is right, but only by a fine margin. According to the European Union, in 2022 the average workweek of people between the ages of 22 and 65 was 37.5 hours. The longest working weeks recorded were in Greece, 41 hours a week, and Poland, 40.4 hours. By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working week of 33.2 hours, followed by Germany at 35.3 hours.

U.S. shares make up almost half of all the fund’s equities portfolio. That’s up from 32% in 2013. The U.K., in contrast, accounted for 6% of its equities, down from 15% a decade ago. The malaise gripping European equities has been underlined by the shift in Norway’s investment priorities.

America’s performance, particularly in innovation, is “worrisome” in contrast to Europe, Tangen told the Financial Times.

CEO of Norwegian Investment Fund Prefers American Companies over Europeans, compiled by Tor Kjolberg.

Feature image (on top): Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. Photo © Norges Bank.

The Swedish Gas Accumulators

Tor Kjølberg

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November 7, 2024

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The Finnish wood-fired mass ovens, described in our article Scandinavian Bread and Grains, were the predecessors of the famous Swedish AGA, an institution in many British homes, but originally invented in 1922 by the Swede Gustaf Dalén. Learn more about the Swedish gas accumulators.

Nils Gustaf Dalén was a man of his time, an entrepreneur starting his career as chief engineer at the Gas Accumulator Company and appointed the managing director for AGA when it was founded in 1909. In 1910, the company bought a large real estate in Lidingö and built a production plant that was completed around 1912, when they moved out from the facilities in Stockholm.

In 1912, Dalén was blinded by a gas explosion, and in the same year he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his “invention of automatic regulators for use in conjunction with gas accumulators for illuminating lighthouses and buoys”. It was a simple but effective sun-sensitive valve for lighthouses.

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The stoves were an immediate success and worked on the exact same principle as the old Finnish mass ovens but was made of 600kg cast iron, fuel efficient and much cleaner and easier to regulate than the old stoves. It could even serve as central heating. There were already 50,000 AGAs in Britain in the 1940s. The stoves were produced in Sweden at first but sold to an English company in 1957. The stoves are still standing in many old Swedish houses and can be repaired and used indefinitely.

During his life, AGA was one of the most innovative companies in Sweden and produced a large variety of products that grew every year. Finally, in the early 1970s AGA, was forced to reduce the number of markets it was involved in and concentrate on the production of gases for industrial use.

AGA conceived and developed HiQ for specialty gases. In 2000, AGA was integrated into Linde AG.

The Swedish Gas Accumulators, written by Tor Kjolberg

Scandinavian Citizens Consider Corruption as a Minor Danger to Their Democracies

Tor Kjølberg

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November 6, 2024

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Scandinavian Citizens Consider Corruption as a Minor Danger to Their Democracies

Behind economic inequality, corruption was the most cited threat to democracy according to the recent study Democracy Perception Index 2024. A large majority of people in almost all democracies (67%) say that corruption is a threat to democracy in their country. Scandinavian citizens, however, consider corruption as a minor danger to their democracies.

The Democracy Perception Index (DPI) is the world’s largest annual study on how people perceive democracy, conducted by Latana in collaboration with the Alliance of Democracies. The 2024 edition offers an unprecedented comparison of global attitudes towards democracy during a time of rising geopolitical tensions and violent conflicts. Results are based on nationally representative interviews with over 62,953 respondents from 53 countries conducted between February 20th and April 15th, 2024.

“Around the world people want to live under democracy but these figures are a wake-up call for all democratic governments. Defending democracy means advancing freedom around the world, but it also means listening to voters’ concerns at home. The trend shows we risk losing the Global South to the autocracies. We are witnessing an axis of autocracies forming from China to Russia to Iran. We must act now to make freedom more attractive than dictatorship and unite through an alliance of democracies to push back against the emboldened autocrats,” says Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Chair of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, former NATO Chief, and Danish Prime Minister.

“War and violent conflict is seen as the world’s biggest challenge, followed by poverty and climate change. It is encouraging to see that people’s belief in the idea of democracy is at an all-time high, but if democratic countries are unable to help solve the world’s challenges, then it will be only a matter of time until support for democracy will suffer,” says dr. Nico Jaspers, CEO at Latana.

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The Democracy Perception Index (DPI)

The Democracy Perception Index (DPI) aims to understand how people around the world perceive the state of democracy in their country today and the major challenges that lie ahead. It is the largest annual study on people’s perception of democracy, spanning 53 countries that represent over 75% of the world’s population.

Despite the 18th consecutive year of decline in global freedom according to Freedom House, the vast majority of people worldwide consistently say that democracy is important to have in their country (85%).

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Democracy is important

Across the 53 countries surveyed in the Democracy Perception Index (DPI) study, an average of 85% of people say that democracy is important to have in their country, ranging from 94% in the birthplace of democracy, Greece, to 63% in Iran. This is a major opinion in all countries.

When asked how democratic people think their country currently is, only about half the world (58%) says that their country is actually democratic. This is true even in democracies labeled as “free” by Freedom House, where only 60% say that their country is democratic.

Threats to Democracy

This part of the survey provides an overview of what people in democratic countries see as the biggest threats to democracy. The results show that out of all the threats listed in the DPI, economic inequality is viewed as the most significant threat among the 44 democracies surveyed: an average of 68% say that economic inequality threatens democracy in their country. Behind economic inequality comes corruption.

The countries being most concerned about corruption are Greece, South Africa, Ukraine and Nigeria. On the opposite site of the scale are Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (all 50%). Norway’s score is 55% while 60% of Swedish citizens say that corruption is a threat to democracy in their country.

You can download the complete survey in PDF format here.

Scandinavian Citizens Consider Corruption as a Minor Danger to Their Democracies, compiled by Tor Kjolberg

Norwegian Bow Hunters

Tor Kjølberg

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November 5, 2024

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The Norwegian Archery Association was founded in 1988 and is an interest organization for Norwegian hunters who want to hunt with a bow and arrow in Norway. The association’s overall goal is therefore to contribute to such hunting being allowed. Learn more about Norwegian bow hunters.

Building up first-hand experiences with bow-hunting and acquiring all relevant knowledge in connection with such hunting is therefore important. Whether it concerns technical, scientific, societal, moral or ethical matters.

As part of the training of Norwegian bowhunters, the association organizes, among other things, competitions with lifelike 3-dimensional animal figures made of plastic foam. The shooting mode is called 3D shooting because of the “flashes”. The competitions are very similar to the so-called hunting trails in which hunters with gunpowder weapons take part.

Unfortunately for Norwegian bow hunters, bowhunting is not legal in Norway due to a law which states that the flying projectile must be powered by gunpowder. The European Bowhunting Federation has, however, tried to change this law for many years. Some politicians have a positive attitude towards bowhunting, but animal rights activists, like the Norwegian “PETA” (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) continues to spread inaccurate information about the effectiveness and accuracy of a compound bow. The result of this is that most people in Norway think that the animal will suffer for a long time, and eventually die from pain.

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Bow hunting is both efficient and humane

The Finnish veterinarian Mikaela Sauvala carried out a study in 2019 that compared real hunting situations for free-ranging white-tailed deer.

The conclusion of the Finnish doctoral thesis was that bow hunting is both efficient and humane. During the research, 100 deer were shot with a rifle, while 130 game were shot with a bow. Video recordings, blood samples from wild game and collected data on the hunting situation and equipment were used to find out whether hunting with a bow can be as humane as big game hunting with a rifle.

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Where is bow hunting allowed?

Nations including Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Finland and Bulgaria use bow and arrow hunting as a hunting tool in modern game management. Some European countries, including the United Kingdom, prohibit bowhunting. Bowhunting, like target archery, was revived in the UK during the Victorian era, but has been banned since 1965. Recently a law was passed in Estonia that would allow bowhunting of small game.

The History of Modern Bowhunting

Bowhunting dates back to the Stone Age and can be traced throughout history in many regions around the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. Native Americans were skilled bowhunters. Although their bows and arrows were often crude, they overcame the limitations of their equipment with their exceptional ability to stalk within close range of wary prey. The ability to get close to game remains the essence of all bowhunting today.

As immigrants moved into North America, they gradually combined European and Native American archery techniques and technology. The first archery club in America, known as the United Bowmen of Philadelphia, was formed in 1828.

The writings of bowhunters Will and Maurice Thompson helped popularize bowhunting in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1878, Maurice Thompson published the book The Witchery of Archery, which inspired many more individuals to pick up a bow and arrow. In 1879, the newly founded National Archery Association (NAA) held the first U.S.–sponsored tournament.

From the 1920s, professional engineers took an interest in archery, previously the exclusive field of traditional craft experts. They led the commercial development of new forms of bow including the modern recurve and compound bow. These modern forms are now dominant in modern Western archery; traditional bows are in a minority. In the 1980s, the skills of traditional archery were revived by American enthusiasts and combined with the new scientific understanding. Much of this expertise is available in the Traditional Bowyer’s Bibles Modern game archery owes much of its success to Fred Bear, an American bow hunter and bow manufacturer.

Norwegian Bow Hunters – Conclusion

According to a Norwegian bowhunter, hunting with a bow is not about filling the freezer with food. It’s about the experience, about sharpening your senses and experiencing close contact with the animals.

Norwegian Bow Hunters, compiled by Tor Kjolberg

Feature image (on top) Bow hunting Rangefinder

Beyond Solar Panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway

Tor Kjølberg

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November 4, 2024

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Beyond Solar Panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway

The impact of climate change is significant — for Norway, the impact can be felt from the fishing industry to shifts in the country’s biodiversity, not to mention the cultural impact in regard to Sámi practices. As such, around 48% of Norwegians report feeling angry when thinking about climate change. In this article, our British correspondent, Karoline Gore, looks behind solar panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway

While the country is well known as a pioneer in leading sustainable strategies to combat the threats of climate change, solutions extend well beyond the standard solar panel. Constant innovation highlights solutions that range from hydro-power to those led by creative individuals and concepts that are deeply rooted in Norwegian culture.

A pioneer in sustainable solutions

Buildings account for approximately 40% of the EU’s energy usage, and 36% of its energy-related CO2 emissions. These facts have prompted many European countries to take action through initiatives that are geared towards eco-conscious housing solutions. In regard to Norway, the country has been long known as a pioneer in zero-energy buildings. These structures feature zero net consumption of renewable energy, while energy-positive buildings generate more than they use — and feed it back into the grid. Business Norway highlights the National Museum in Oslo; once opened in 2021, it would be heated by water from the Oslo Fjord in addition to other renewable sources.

In Norway, around 97% of the country’s energy already comes from hydro-power, though sustainable home design extends well beyond the concept of clean energy. Most homes, highlighted by National Geographic, are equipped with smart metres, which empower homeowners to harvest solar energy, store it, and sell it back to energy companies. “This makes renewables a smart investment on several levels and provides a strong incentive for people to get behind the technology,” the article states. However, innovation in Norwegian homes extend to prefab models and even individual initiatives that evoke inspiration all on their own.

The promise of prefab homes

Prefabricated homes are defined as housing that is manufactured off-site in advance, and is typically shipped and able to be assembled upon arrival. These homes boast a range of benefits, which include affordability and the ability to be customized. The concept of prefab homes isn’t necessarily new, and has become more prevalent throughout the world. “We get a thousand inquiries a month coming in to the website for our modular homes,” says Robert Pierson, the development director at a Vancouver-based prefab home development firm called Eco Homes. “And that’s spread across Canada and a little bit down into northern U.S.A..”

Beyond Solar Panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway, article continues below image.

Business Norway details Nordic Smart House, a modular home developed in order to meet the demand for smaller and more affordable sustainable housing. With added advantages that include reduced construction time, it’s noted that energy consumption is also nearly halved.

The drive behind eco-home inspiration

Many across the country have embraced environmentally friendly ways of life. ‘Open-air life,’ or friluftsliv, “conveys the importance of spending time outdoors to be healthy and happy,” explains one 2019 BBC article. Norwegian Axel Bentsen, founder and CEO of Urban Sharing, explains that the concept is deeply rooted in the culture. For example, a trip via public transit into the forest is noted to be a popular activity to do before or after work in order to spend more time outdoors. As such, friluftsliv has the potential to play a major role for those who wish to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

While the adoption of friluftsliv can help one become more environmentally conscious, many have even reevaluated their home’s design for the sake of a more sustainable lifestyle. Love Exploring highlights the Hjertefølger family, who have called a sustainable glass dome in the heart of Norway’s Arctic Circle home since 2014. In regard to the home’s materials, cob (a natural material created from subsoil, fibrous organic material, water, and sometimes lime). “We were doing research online about different natural building techniques, and fell in love with cob houses,” Ingrid Hjertefølger said. Ingrid goes on to further note that the task seemed difficult to accomplish in Northern Norway due to the short summers and rainfall, though this didn’t stop their vision. The cob used for the home involved a mixture of sand, clay, and straw. The cob home is encapsulated in a glass geodesic dome, designed by the construction company Solardome, which results in a greenhouse, like effect that retains heat on the inside.

Sustainable features are attainable

The Hjertefølger’s Norwegian eco-home also boasts several sustainable features that extend well beyond the unique structure. Solar panels draw in energy from the sun, and natural materials have been utilized throughout, with a wooden front door prominent in the home’s design, Love Exploring highlights. Homeowners throughout Scandinavia can take a page from eco-homes like this through the incorporation of natural materials throughout a home, which presents an ideal way for homeowners to create a more eco-conscious environment. Successful eco-friendly home office design, for instance, is easily achieved through sustainable thinking — this involves considerations that range from the use of low-energy equipment to the prioritization of natural light, as well as the use of furniture that incorporates natural materials. Other factors, such as the establishment of paperless work practices and the incorporation of plant-life can further the environmentally friendly design.

Beyond Solar Panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway, article continues beow image.

Norway is home to a number of sustainable housing solutions that range from the incorporation of clean energy to eco-friendly building materials. While the country itself has taken to eco-friendly initiatives, creative individuals and concepts that are rooted in Norwegian culture further drive innovation and serve as inspiration to others who wish to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Ecofriendly housing norway — Karoline Gore

Beyond Solar Panels: Innovations Highlight Sustainable Housing Solutions in Norway, written dedicatedly for Daily Scandinavian by Karoline Gore. Karoline is a freelance writer from Stoke on Trent in the UK who left the corporate grind when she started a family and has never looked back. She enjoys contributing to a range of online publications on the topics that are important to her.

Collectors’ Choice: Original Nordic Pine Furniture

Tor Kjølberg

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November 1, 2024

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Collectors’ Choice: Original Nordic Pine Furniture

Today, collectors’ choice is original Nordic pine furniture. The 1960s Nordic design is more popular than ever.

“We need to know, understand and deal with history. We can use the knowledge to create sustainable designs that cause less damage and aid the green transition,” explains Professor of Design History at the University of Oslo Kjetil Fallan.

One of the main trends at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair was the use of pine, with designers using heat-treated pine for outdoor furniture, creating lighting from pine veneer and reevaluating waterlogged pine.

Long viewed as cheap, pine is changing in people’s perceptions. Today, young brands as Helsinki-based Vaarnii are shifting the narrative by using it for tables and chairs in bold forms inspired by mid-century pieces.

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In his book Ecological by Design: A History from Scandinavia, Professor Fallan addresses the topic of the environment through the narrative of Scandinavian eco-design.

In Scandinavia, pinewood has become more popular in recent years as younger generations begin to appreciate the material. While it previously had connotations to the lacquered, yellowing pinewood furniture of the 1970s, pine is being reappraised by many designers for its ease of use and local availability.

It’s also helping collectors’ attention to original pine furniture from the 1960s and 1970s. Fallan’s research shows how Scandinavian designers started to question consumerism in the 1960s and 1970s. They saw – and reacted to – the dark aspects of design objects being created, used, discarded and continuously replaced.

At Stockholm Furniture Fair, there was a wide selection of pinewood furniture in different shapes and forms, with some designers using untreated pale wood that will weather with age while others chose to heat treat or stain the material.

Finnish brand Vaarnii, which works solely in pine, showcased its collaboration with British designer Faye Toogood as well as a new chair by French designer Ronan Bouroullec.

One case in point was a dining chair by Ilmari Tapiovaara from London-based Chase & Sorensen.

Founder and CEO Antti Hirvonen at Varnii thinks the reason for pine’s newfound popularity is that it feels like a more unusual option since the material has languished in the background for a while.

Collectors’ Choice: Original Nordic Pine Furniture, written by Tor Kjolberg

Feature image (on top): Dining chairs and table designed by Fredrik Paulsen for Vaarnii

Record-Breaking Number of Summer Visitors to Northern Norway

Tor Kjølberg

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October 31, 2024

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Record-Breaking Number of Summer Visitors to Northern Norway

According to a press release from the Northern Norway Tourism Board, a remarkable 2.3 million overnight stays were recorded between June and August 2024, a record-breaking number of summer visitors to Northern Norway.

1,1 million of these visitors were international tourists, representing a 9 percent increase international traffic compared to the previous year, reflecting the region’s growing popularity among foreign travelers.

Record-Breaking Summer as Visitor Numbers rise — Siw Sandvik, Leader of Communication and Marketing at the Northern Norway Tourism Board.

Tourism has seen significant growth in central international markets such as Germany, Sweden, the United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In August alone, Northern Norway experienced an 11 percent increase in hotel stays compared to August 2023, underscoring the growing interest from international visitors.

“We are happy to report that this summer has been our best ever. This positive trend highlights the continued appeal of the region’s unique offerings to travelers from around the world, and the introduction of new airline routes has significantly improved accessibility,” says Siw Sandvik, Leader of Communication and Marketing at the Northern Norway Tourism Board.

“Our varied landscapes, vibrant local culture, and unique nature experiences continue to attract international visitors, and shows that Northern Norway is an attractive destination for people looking for genuine experiences and beautiful Arctic scenery,” she says.

Record-Breaking Summer as Visitor Numbers rise, article continues below image

Bodø Leads Tourism Growth as European Capital of Culture

Bodø has recorded a remarkable increase of 42 percent in foreign layovers compared to last year, strengthening its position as a top destination in Northern Norway. This rise can be attributed in part to Bodø being named the European Capital of Culture, attracting visitors from far and wide. The city’s status has had a significantly positive impact, not only boosting its profile but also benefiting the entire region. Additionally, Vesterålen and Narvik have also experienced impressive growth, with foreign overnight stays increasing by 31 percent from the previous year.

Northern Norway’s outstanding performance further underscores its appeal, topping the national growth rates.

“It is pleasing to note that both foreign and domestic traffic have increased across most places in the region, Sandvik states.

Since 2020, the development in foreign traffic has been exceptional, with an astonishing growth rate of 554 percent. These figures reflect the lasting appeal of Norway’s northern regions and the rich cultural landscape that attracts visitors year after year.

Record-Breaking Number of Summer Visitors to Northern Norway, a press release from the Northern Norway Tourism Board

Now launching our Travel Partner

A pioneer in sustainable solutions

The promise of prefab homes

The drive behind eco-home inspiration

Sustainable features are attainable