According to new data from the Norwegian accommodation statistics, The numbers refer to hotels, short-term holiday dwellings, camping sites, and youth hostels. in Norway reported 16.7 million Notice the difference between “guest nights” and “guest”. One guest may have several guest nights. in June, July and August this year. Of these, Norwegian guest nights accounted for 10.4 of the million guest nights, marking a 2.8 per cent rise compared to last summer. Additionally, foreign visitors accounted for 6.3 million guest nights, the highest number of guest nights ever recorded for the summer months. This represent a 3.1 per cent increase from the year before.
– The weak exchange rate for the Norwegian krone may have played a role in making Norway a more appealing holiday destination for both foreign visitors and domestic visitors. Foreign visitors now receive more value for their money than they did previously, while Norwegians might have opted for a domestic holiday as trips abroad have become more costly, says senior advisor Kristin Aasestad in Statistics Norway.
More visitors to Nordland, Oslo and Vestland
Nearly all counties reported an increase in guest nights for summer months, compared to the same period last year. Nordland was the county with the most significant growth in guest nights this summer. The county recorded over 1.3 million overnight guest nights, an increase of 143 000 compared to last summer. In Nordland, the number of Norwegian and foreign guest nights was approximately equal, with the foreign guest nights contributing the most to the growth.
Parts of the increase in Nordland is caused by the fact that some businesses that are included in the sample now were not included in the survey in 2023, even though they were in operation in summer 2023. Ignoring these businesses, there are still an clear increase from the summer of 2023 to the summer of 2024.
– The appeal of a “coolcation” amidst stunning natural surroundings might have attracted a record number of foreign visitors to Nordland this summer. The excellent summer weather in the northern regions may have been a positive surprise for many and simultaneously encouraged more Norwegians to travel here says Kristin Aasestad.
Oslo is the county with the second-largest increase in guest nights this summer. The total number of guest nights exceeded 2.2 million, which is 89 000 more than last year, marking a 4.2 per cent growth.
In Vestland county, there were 88 000 more guest nights during June, July and August, totaling over 2.8 million guest nights. This represented an increase of 3.3 per cent compared to last summer.
On the other hand, the counties of Agder and Vestfold reported a drop in the number of guest nights this summer, by 5.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent, which contributed to moderate the overall rise in guest nights.