Tourists spent NOK 42.8 billion in Norway last year

GeirangerGEIRANGER.Photo: Paul Kleiven / Scanpix

– Travel is becoming increasingly important for value creation throughout Norway, and we must work hard to attract paying tourists.

– The increased spending shows that we are on the right track, Minister of Industry, Monica Mæland says about the figures from Innovation Norway.

These figures show that tourists spent NOK 42.8 billion in Norway last year, an increase of 8.8 billion than in 2015.

Of these billions, 17 billion came from foreigners. In other words, Norwegians are by far the largest source of income for Norwegian tourism companies. Almost NOK 26 billion was spent on tourism by us in our own country in 2016.

Of the foreigners, Germans leave the most. Their total holiday spending was 3.1 billion, an increase of 31 percent from 2015. This is mainly explained by the fact that the Germans stay in Norway for a longer time, thereby increasing overall spenditure.

Americans are spending the most per day as they spend an average of NOK 3630 every day when they visit Norway.

In 2016, Norway experienced a 10 percent increase in foreign guest nights, including holiday and business travellers. The increase came especially from Germany, the United States, southern Europe and China.

But the tourists are not only increasing in numbers, they also spend more every day. Foreigners spent an average of NOK 2240 in 2016, against NOK 1855 in 2015.

– The weak crown means that more tourists have bigger budgets than before. The Danish and Swedish crowns, as well as the Euro and US dollars, gave all between five to six percent better value for money in 2016.

– But it is also about rising markets that traditionally have high spenditure, says Bente Bratland Holm in Innovation Norway.

 Increased willingness to pay

The tourists’ activities while in Norway are linked to spending. While most tourists report nature-related activities as essential, more and more say that cultural activities and the northern light are important. This has a lot to say for the daily consumption.

– These tourists are known to have larger holiday budgets than most so that more people come for music experiences or searching for the northern light, says Bratland Holm.

 

Source: dagbladet.no / Norway Today