Believe in the popularity of travel in the century

In a survey conducted by Tryg Forsikring, 3 out of 10 answered that their planned vacations abroad for the next year have changed due to the situation with the coronavirus.

Most people hope that the corona situation will subside as summer approaches, and that they will be able to travel abroad again without restrictions. Terje Berge, commercial director of web portal Finn Reise, believes that this will lead to very high travel activity among Norwegians.

– I think we’ll have the travel fortune of this century if the restrictions are gone. Many have saved money during the pandemic, and are very eager to travel.

Vings Country Manager Mary Ann Zachrisson believes in the same effect.

We know that all surveys show that the desire to travel is great and that Norwegians dream of going abroad on vacation. We got our best test back in September when the then attorney general wished everyone “a good trip” — when sales really “bloomed,” she says.

She believes that something like this can happen in the new year. Many have already booked a trip during the summer holidays.

– If booster doses are used in the adult population and overall infections decrease, I fully believe we can try it again soon. January is usually a month when many people plan their summer vacation with family and friends. She added that many of those who did not travel in the summer of 2020 or 2021 had already booked their vacation.

Comes with tips

Berge in Finn Reise comes with a tip for Norwegians planning a trip abroad this summer.

The prices outside are also very reasonable. Now that you can have flexible cancellations, it might be worth checking out the summer now already. You have little to lose by procrastinating now.

He says Norwegians are traditional when choosing their destinations, and he expects Norwegian holiday winners Spain, Greece and Croatia to be at the top of his summer holiday sales lists.

Fewer orders abroad

Travel companies have also noted that high infection rates and new restrictions have affected Norwegians’ desire to travel abroad in the coming months.

– We see that the proportion of those applying to Norway versus abroad is rising. This is the same thing we saw at the beginning of the pandemic. Then 90 percent of the requests went to Norway. The difference is not as big as it was in the beginning, but a significant amount is going to Norway now.

He says a lot of people are booking cabins and vacation homes, rather than traveling abroad.

– We have had many orders for holiday homes and cabins for Christmas and New Year in major destinations such as Trysil, Hemsedal and Geilo. It is a big change for Norwegian holidays during this period.

But one of the classics for Norwegians, there are still plenty of people to travel to, even with restrictions.

We still see a lot of trips to the Canary Islands and Spain. There are many who have booked way too long, and there are few who have canceled. Surprisingly few have turned off the heat in Spain this winter.

Zachrisson sees the same in Veng.

– When infection rates increased in Norway and Europe in the weeks leading up to Christmas, it hampered sales with a short time to leave. Christmas and New Year’s weekends are high season for those of us who send Norwegians on holiday for the sun and the heat. The most popular check-out dates have been selling well since a year ago. She says the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria and Tenerife) and Cape Verde are our biggest winter destinations.

The United States and the United Kingdom are still popular

Even with very high infection rates, both the USA and the UK are high on the lists among the favorite destinations for Norwegians.

In the United States, the recommended isolation time for asymptomatic coronary heart disease has now been changed Five days. For the past five days, you have to wear a mask around people. International travelers to the United States must demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated and have had a negative coronavirus test within one day prior to departure.

On the pages of Ven, the United States is a popular destination.

– When the United States said it would open its doors in November, the United States climbed to our number one list. Since then, there hasn’t been much change, says Berg in Finn Rise.

He is also amazed at how many people travel across the North Sea to the UK.

There are a lot of trips to London all of a sudden, even with everything that’s going on there. Many people book there, and there are many who also went there for Christmas. We see a lot of football trips, says Berg.

I Great Britain The isolation time has been changed to seven days, before you can test yourself with two negative tests. Before leaving the UK you must take a negative test, submit an entry form, and take a PCR test within two days of arriving in the country. Then you are in isolation until you test negative.

Ving sends many football fans to the UK. Zachrisson says they work hard to make travelers feel safe.

A lot of good work has been done to ensure our UK guests are helped with vaccine and testing information so they can experience their favorite multiplayer.