Norwegian Government Introduces 5 Measures to Help Create a Competitive Tourism Industry in 2023
The Norwegian government is looking to work on five measures that will help create a competitive year-round tourism industry in the country that is also more sustainable and profitable.
In this regard, the Minister of Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, emphasised that knowing that tourism has gone through a difficult time due to the pandemic, it is now important for the industry to have framework conditions that facilitate investment and growth, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to him, tourism is Norway’s fifth largest export industry, employing over 180,000 people.
“I have received a lot of input on how the government can make better arrangements for this important industry to develop. Now we must – together with the industry – find solutions to the challenges facing tourism. We are already working on five concrete measures,” Vestre pointed out.
As the government explains, it will primarily work towards a plan for tourism before the summer of 2023. Such an action plan will aim at sustainable development, year-round jobs, skills, marketing, destination development and creating value across the country.
The second plan has to do with the possibility that the north will give to the municipalities to present the contributions of the visitors. The Ministry has already received proposals for pilot projects from Nordkapp, Beitostølen, World Heritage Fjords and Lofoten, and they are currently being evaluated.
Whereas the third measure includes work on the development of a national approval scheme for local and regional guides, tourist guides and mountain guides in cooperation with external organisations.
As a result, the government said that a lot of good data has been obtained from different actors in the tourism industry, and work has started to draft the scheme.
Moreover, as a fourth measure, the government has decided to launch the Reiseliv 2030, a project which will contribute to the knowledge-based development of the entire tourism industry. It will also provide proposals, ensure the creation of value-added and contribute to the green transition, for which a task force will soon be created to work on.
As the last project, the government defines the work of the destination committee, which is in the final stage and will give an NOU before Easter. This report will also provide a solid basis for designing destination development investments in Norwegian municipalities, including the municipalities’ ability to manage tourist visits and manage and finance the production of public goods.
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