In the last two years, most Norwegians have traveled little outside Norway’s borders. On 5 July last year, when several Norwegians had already been vaccinated, the government abolished the travel council EEA, Schengen and the United Kingdom. Then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer advised against all travel that is not strictly necessary to these areas.
Nevertheless, there was still a state of emergency, and many chose to holiday in Norway. Now we see the light at the end of the tunnel, and now Norwegians are ready for sun and summer – especially in the period 23 June to 18 August.
So far this year, we see a growth of 250 percent in flight bookings for the summer holidays, compared to the same period last year. If we look at package travel, there is a growth of 900 percent compared to the same time last year, says Terje Berge in Finn Reise to Nettavisen.
However, we are still below the normal year 2019 in terms of bookings. There are 34 percent fewer flight bookings and 61 percent fewer package travel bookings, which also include charter flights.
Spain, Greece, Croatia and Turkey in particular are the most popular package holidays for the summer of 2022.
– Ticket prices are guaranteed not to go down
Even though we are not at a normal level right now, Berge thinks it’s just around the corner.
– It is not long before we are in the positive compared to the 2019 figures. With this speed, we are soon in normal conditions, he says.
But at the same time we will not get completely normal conditions for the summer, because there is lower capacity than before the pandemic.
– The planes that go this summer, they will be full. Ticket prices for trips abroad during the school holidays are guaranteed not to go down, he points out.
– It will be more expensive to travel this summer than before the pandemic, because the capacity is much smaller. If there is little to sell, it will be cramped if places and prices go up, says Berge.
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He is happy that the orders are starting to pick up.
– It is incredibly good for tourism and Norwegians who want to travel. We already see that people have started booking trips to Thailand next winter, to December and January. That is positive, he says.
– Three times as high sales
All three major travel players TUI, Ving and Apollo report good sales for this year’s summer holiday.
Nora Aspengren, communications manager for TUI in Norway, says that it is quite clear that Norwegians now want to go out and travel after the coronary restrictions have been eased.
– Sales have really taken off since everything was opened up more. We now have three times as high sales as at the same time last year, she says to Nettavisen, and refers to sales for travel throughout 2022.
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Bookings for trips to the south for the summer holidays have also picked up. Last week, TUI had the best sales week so far this year, but this week the record has been broken.
– Sales have increased by ten percent from last week. There are trips in June and July people mainly want to secure. Now families have also started ordering again, something we have not seen much of during the pandemic, says Aspengren.
Crete in Greece is on top of destinations Norwegians have this summer, while Mallorca in Spain and Rhodes in Greece follow.
– We also see increased sales to Turkey, which has not been available for two years, as well as Croatia, she says.
Sales figures are as before the pandemic
Marie-Anne Zachrisson, head of Ving Norge, can also report good sales this year.
– Sales have been very good. We will soon be on a par with sales at the beginning of 2020, she tells Nettavisen.
Beatriz Rivera, communications manager at Apollo, says that sales of this year’s summer travel are at the same level as at the same time in 2019, ie before the pandemic.
– Compared to last year, it is well over a doubling. In other words, there is no doubt that optimism is far greater now than it was last year, and that Norwegians feel confident that the holiday abroad can be completed, she tells Nettavisen.
Greece excels the most, with Crete, Rhodes and the Greek mainland on the top three list. Croatia also sells more for each week spent with Apollo, and is now in a solid second place, followed by Cyprus, Mallorca and Albania.
– If you plan to travel abroad this summer, it does not pay to wait too long with the booking. Now that Europe is opening up, we see that holiday sales are skyrocketing in all countries, not just in Norway, and the vast majority want to go to the Mediterranean this year, Rivera says.
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– Normal price picture
Aspengren in TUI points out that the capacity is not close to being at the 2019 level, but it is starting to pick up.
– The capacity was very minimal last year, and we had a few travel destinations. This year we offer more, she says.
– How is the price level this year compared to a normal year?
– Now the price level is more normal, but how it develops over the year, we just have to follow, she says.
Zakrisson in Ving says that the price level with them is the same as before.
Has set up extra aircraft
Ving did not fly any Norwegians on a charter trip in 17 of the almost 24 months we have lived with the coronavirus in the world. Therefore, she is happy that the travel activity has now started to pick up properly.
– Every week there are several thousand who book their summer vacation. This is a pace we have not seen since the same time in 2020. We sell more and more trips for the summer holidays now every single day, says Zachrisson, and adds:
– Our flight program for the summer holidays is planned as a fairly normal summer this year.
But people want to go before the summer. The summer season for Ving starts already in April, and they have had to set up an extra flight to Mallorca for the Easter holidays, to get sun-hungry Norwegians on tour.
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