Motorhome Hire Norway
- hire a motorhome in Norway
LONG gone are the days when Scandinavia was one of the world's most expensive places to visit. In the 1980s and early '90s, it seemed only business travellers made it to northern Europe from Australia, while backpackers were scared away by the taxes and a lack of cheap accommodation.
Fast forward 10 or 15 years and the region is now one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world.
International tourist arrivals in Sweden have increased by more than 200 per cent from 2.3 million in 1995 to almost 8 million at present.
But the Australian market to Scandinavia is still comparatively low. Out of 7.5 million visitors to Sweden in 2002, only 54,000 were from Australia.
The Nordic region is one of the most remote from Australia, and also one travellers know little about. Australian visitors tend to favour cruising the fjords of Norway, visiting Copenhagen (especially after the royal wedding of Prince Frederik to Tasmanian Mary Donaldson) or celebrating Christmas in Finnish Lapland.
Scandinavia is still perceived as cold and distant with little to offer, yet those who venture there are pleasantly surprised by its uniqueness, and the region is recording a fair amount of repeat travellers.
In a Swedish Tourist Authority study on Australian visitors to Sweden last year, 95 per cent of respondents said they would recommend the country as a tourist destination to others.
Although the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark are more or less identical in terms of society, mentality and lifestyles, they offer significant variety for tourists. Add neighbouring Finland or even Iceland and Greenland - all Nordic countries - and any traveller is spoilt for choice.
Norway offers scenery that it claims is rivalled only by South America's Patagonia or New Zealand.
Cruising the fjords is as popular as ever, confirm the two Scandinavian specialists, Bentours and Nordic Travel. Both wholesalers offer a Norwegian institution, the 'Hurtigruten', a 12-day coastal cruise promoted as "the world's most beautiful voyage".
Bentours founder Bent Jorgensen Ronnov claims Norway also has three of the world's top 10 most scenic rail routes: Oslo-Bergen, the Fl m Railway (Myrdal-Fl m Fjord), and Kiruna (Sweden)-Narvik.
"Spitsbergen is huge," Nordic Travel managing director Susan Havercroft said. "We send a lot of people there on cruises. There's an old Dutch yacht, Noorderlicht, that is frozen in ice and operates as a hotel."
Sweden has the world's coolest hotel, the Ice Hotel, which is booked out far in advance, attracting tourists from all over the world. The first Absolut Ice Bar opened in vibrant Stockholm a few years ago.
The city, with its unique archipelago setting, is often referred to as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. It is home to more museums per capita than any other city, and also a popular weekend-break destination for Europeans.
Stockholm is also increasingly popular for Australians.
The picturesque Gota Kanal offers one of Sweden's most unique experiences. The 190-kilometre long canal, built between 1809 and 1832, is still the country's largest ever building project.
Today, the vessels used along the canal are around 100 years old and part of a Swedish national trust.
"Gota Kanal is the best thing in Sweden, and it's the best way to see Sweden," Nordic Travel's Lorraine Gage said. Tours are available in either four or six days trips.
Denmark boasts that its capital, Copenhagen, is one of the most charming cities in the world, and of course, the city is now home to a Tasmanian princess.
Finland has first-rate winter activities and the popular Rovaniemi ('Santa's home town').
"Christmas in Lapland sells really well," Ronnov said. "It grew just like that. Finland is absolutely number one in the Nordic [region] in terms of leisure during winter."
"For FITs, Finland is the best," Nordic Travel's Susan Havercroft said. "Finland has done it so well for that market.
Iceland, meanwhile, is famous for its steaming geysers and glaciers.
As a tourist destination, it has taken off in the last few years.
"For long there was little interest in Iceland," Nordic Travel director Bill Havercroft said. "Then it exploded as a new destination. It is really for experienced travellers who want to go to somewhere no one else has been to."
And now Greenland, part of Denmark, is also emerging as a new tourist destination.
"Every year it has been growing and now it is the ultimate destination," Susan Havercroft said. "The only competition is Antarctica."
The Nordic countries have weather features unrivalled anywhere in the world. In summer time the sun never sets, and while the winters are dark, the Northern Lights lure thousand of visitors each year.
Travelling around the region is easy.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines covers all of Scandinavia and Finland, while a larger number of low-cost carriers have been established in the least few years.
Train services are among the fastest and best in the world, and although they can be infrequent they offer an efficient way to get around quickly. Another option is cruising, with a wide range of cruise companies to choose between.
"Motorhome holidays are increasingly popular, as are self drive holidays," Ronnov said. "And the biggest advantage: there is no traffic."
At least not until more tourists realise how much is on offer in this part of the world.
- hire a motorhome in Norway