Norway Tourism and Vacation
The main tourist attractions of Norway are the fjord-indented coastline and its mountains, the unspoiled nature of the inner parts of the country, and the cities and smaller towns.
As of 2008 and 2009, Norway ranks 17th and 19th in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.
In the 2007 ranking of World's Top Ten Richest Countries, Luxembourg topped the list. Among other countries in the list, four are from Asia (Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Singapore), one from Africa (Equatorial Guinea), three from Europe (Luxembourg, Norway and Ireland) and two from Americas (USA and Bermuda). International financial services, tourism, petroleum and natural gas exports, electronic goods manufacturing, aiding movement of goods (as in the case of Singapore) and flourished service sector are the keystones behind this economic success.
Oslo is considered the center of maritime activity in Europe. There are over 980 maritime companies in Oslo employing about 8,600 people. Over 6,000 ships dock in Port Oslo every year with over 5 million passengers and 6 million tons of cargo. The city per capita GDP is one of the highest in Europe and in 2009 it became the most expensive city in the world. Oslo offers visitors experiences you can’t find anywhere else in the world. The personable residents love to share stories and are extremely hospitable.
Best UNESCO site of the world survey was organized by National Geographic Traveler and National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations. "We are surprised and thrilled to be given such a vote of confidence from National Geographic's expert panel," said Terje Devold, at the time director of Fjord Norway, a regional tourism association.
"At the same time, we see it as a challenge. Last year Norway's tourism authorities signed the National Geographic tourism charter as the first European country to do so, making geotourism an important platform for destination development in Norway. The top Destination Stewardship rating is a stimulus to protect and nurture those qualities that make the Norwegian fjords so magnificent not only for visitors but also for those who live there."
The other Norwegian locale on the survey, Bryggen and its adjacent Bergen neighborhoods, also scored well, with a 10th-place rank that put it in the group called "Destinations Doing Well." Survey panellists evaluated not only the World Heritage sites, but also the surrounding areas that constitute each travel destination as a whole.
WTTc research, produced with our partner oxford economics, assesses the economic impact of Travel & Tourism for 181 countries. it measures spending on Travel & Tourism by households, businesses, governments and foreign visitors, in order to capture fully the economic contribution of both domestic and international tourism, thereby quantifying Travel & Tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDp) and employment.
According to the latest (2009) annual research, Travel & Tourism employed over 225 million people around the world and generated 9.6% of global GDp in 2008. Despite occasional dips in the annual growth curve, the last decade has seen a rapid rise in Travel & Tourism. But, as is now widely recognised, it suffered a marked downturn in activity in the second half of 2008. indeed, by the end of the year, many countries were experiencing a contraction in Travel & Tourism demand, and global recession was having an increasing impact on the industry’s performance – even in emerging markets.
In conjunction with National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, National Geographic Traveler has devoted its sixth annual "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey Like the first Destination Rated survey in 2004, Norway's fjords region has again taken top honors, with a score of 85 points. Judges noted the gorgeous scenery and well-preserved rural life that are vigorously protected. Others making the top "Best Rated Places" category range from Japan's ancient Kyoto (#4, 79 points) for honoring the "serenity and charm of ancient Japan" to Slovenia, formerly part of communist Yugoslavia, tied at #5 (78 points) for being among the most sustainable and authentic places to visit in Europe.
Choose the region, you want to visit -
A Virtual Tour of Norway
Norwegian Mountains Guide
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