Swedes control the ski trip to Norway – Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet

Swedes control the ski trip to Norway – Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet

fall in crude prices has pushed oil country Norway, which saw its crown weakened considerably. Before Christmas, dropped the Norwegian krone temporarily so much that it was worth less than the Swedish one. Now it stands at 1.05.

But the Norwegians can take comfort in that tourism gets a boost.

– We have in recent years seen a steady increase in the number of Swedish travelers in Norway . But now, in the autumn, we have noticed a huge increase in Swedish bookings. The organizers we work with on the Swedish market reported a 70 percent increase in sales to the Norwegian ski destinations. We are fully confident that the currency contributed to the increase, says Robert Nygårdhs, tourism manager at Visit Norway.

Another example: in Hafjell in Lillehammer area has the Swedish direct bookings increased by 55 percent.

– How large increases I have not experienced before, says Robert Nygårdhs.

Even Skistar, which owns and operates alpine destinations Hemsedal and Trysil, believes that the krona impact .

– First, the Norwegians will be more inclined to ski holiday at home. We also believe that we will see an influx of Swedish guests at the Norwegian destinations, said the company’s PR director Linda Morell.

Robert Nygårdhs acknowledge the Norwegian crown case is not transformed Norway into a low-cost country.

– But the ski packages with lodging and lift tickets are extremely well priced, on par with and maybe even cheaper than on the Swedish side.

This is confirmed by Forex Bank, who in their travel Index looks to Norwegian ski resorts have become more affordable for the Swedes the last three years. In this year’s index is Hemsedal and Trysil at a significantly lower price than Åre.

– To some extent it depends on the exchange rate effect, that Norway has become cheaper for Swedes. Meanwhile, Åre become more expensive, says Kristoffer Avci-Nåmark, travel economist at Forex Bank.

Anyone who wants the most affordable ski holiday should head to Eastern Europe.

– But what is interesting is that Norway has gone from very expensive at reasonable prices, by Swedish standards. The result could be that more Swedish families begin to look at Norwegian ski resorts, says Kristoffer Avci-Nåmark.