Not only is India the world’s largest democracy and a vast, beautiful and exciting country. It also has 330 million middle-class citizens with a huge buying power. That is a little less than half of the total European population, so India will be a major player in international issues in the years to come. Add to that that the Indian economy is estimated to be the third largest in the world by 2020. Indian middle-class citizens want to explore the world and Indian tourists are now looking to Scandinavia.
Mohit Batra, India Representative, Scandinavian Tourist Board confirmes that Indian tourist arrival in Scandinavia is expected to reach 50,000. “A tremendous growth in the number of Indians travelling to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The visa application to the Scandinavian countries is likely to be upward of 60,000 and on an average three-room nights spent in Denmark, five in Norway and three-four in Sweden.
We have asked K V Singh, co-owner of Hotel Mahal Khandela in Jaipur and CEO of India Heritage and Culture Tours, what Indian visitors to Scandinavia would appreciate the most.
Why is Scandinavia so exciting for people in India, Mr. Singh?
“Indians in the age group of 25-45 want to go on cruises, they love adventure and sight-seeing, not to forget the honeymooners,” says K V Singh. “Those with children will love to take them to places where kids can have fun, Disneyland-style!” he adds.
That’s a great answer to a Scandinavian. Let’s start with cruises and explorations.
Cruises
Visitors to Oslo, the capital of Norway should indeed enjoy at least one or two day-cruises on the Oslo fjord. Saturdays and Sundays during the Summer months, Ruter (a common management company for public transport in Oslo) offers three daily sailings, 10.05 pm, 01.05 am and 4.35 am from the Town Hall Pier in Oslo.
If time allows, we recommend cruising coastal Norway with a ‘postal’ ship. This is the ultimate way to have a taste of Norway.
The 16-hour sailings between the Danish capital Copenhagen and Oslo, operated by DFDS Seaways, leave at 5 pm and arrive at 9:30 am the next day. So, you can spend seven hours in Norway’s capital and then return to Copenhagen, or take this cruise from Oslo and do Copenhagen as a day trip – or just go one-way in either direction.
Cruising through the Swedish heartland is another beautiful experience not to be missed. This four-day cruise among 100,000 of Sweden’s lake district is a highlight for boat lovers and those who fancy the chance to see Sweden at the romantic pace of times gone by.
Sightseeing
The many choices of sightseeing in Scandinavia are too many to be mentioned here, but to give you a hint, Scandinavian places in a nutshell might be a teaser to what may be expected when visiting Scandinavia.
Amusement parks
For those traveling with children, Scandinavia is simply a paradise. Family fun is important for Scandinavians, and here we present our bucket list:
Denmark
Family Fun in the Lego Dreamland
Magic in Scandinavia’s Fun Capital
Norway
Largest Climbing Park in Scandinavia
Whitewater rafting in Norway
Sweden
Liseberg – The Swedish Theme Park
Scandinavia’s Largest Waterpark
The Tree House Hotel
The coldest hotel in Sweden
Honeymooners
For those who seek a romantic holiday, we might suggest:
Denmark
Luxury by the Sea in Denmark
Norway
The Oldest Hotel in Norway
Sweden
Enjoy a Stay at the Urban Archipelago of Stockholm
Veggie Mania in Scandinavia
“A large number of Indians are vegetarian and look for Indian restaurants. Visits to museums to my mind are not their top priorities! Beef is of course taboo,” says K V Singh.
There are hundreds of Indian restaurants spread throughout Scandinavia, not to mention vegetarian eateries, so Indian visitors should feel very much at home here. Just let’s give you a few examples:
Veggie Mania in Scandinavia
Exquisite Indian Dining in Oslo
“Children addicted to fast food and colas. Most Indian men enjoy beer.”
Fast food and beer
Fast food are also found all over Scandinavia, so children should not at all suffer. And men should indeed visit some of the many mini breweries popping up all over Scandinavia. Scandinavian beer is world famous – Nordic men are beer lovers too!
How do we best treat our Indian visitors, Mr. Singh?
“Married Indian women are not the sporting kind and would like to avoid extreme sports or activities. Indian women are fond of shopping. Indians are boisterous and sometime rowdy but make friends easily. A few words of Hindi such as Namaste and they will eat out of your hands.”
Well, let us end this short overview with a few hints on shopping in Scandinavia:
One of the World’s Best Shopping Centers – in Copenhagen
Be aware that the above information is just some samples of what Scandinavia has to offer. Daily Scandinavian offers daily new updates and our new website INNOvision will soon be up and running. In addition, Indiaheritageandculturetours is your one stop information source for personalized tours and experiences throughout India and neighboring countries.
Indian Tourists are Looking to Scandinavia is a coproduction of K V Singh and Tor Kjolberg
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