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The corona pandemic has had a huge impact on tourism in 2020. Almost overnight, departure from Norway was discouraged and entry to several places was prohibited. With the exception of an airbag during summer vacation for many, travel was replaced by occupancy, social distance, and limited travel opportunities.
Also in 2021, travelers will need to be patient. Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) has said she doubts that Norwegians can travel abroad for Easter holidays. But a fairly normal summer is allowed to wait, according to the prime minister.
Tour operator TUI Norway predicts that Greece will be a popular summer destination and Spain will be the winter winner, based on sales figures from recent weeks.
– There is no doubt that 2021 will be another different travel year, but we have great faith that activity will pick up significantly closer to summer, says Nora Aspengren, TUI communications manager.
Rising price level
Also in the coming year, the travel council of the Norwegian authorities will be a leader in the travel activity of Norwegians. Only in 2022 does TUI expect the global leisure travel pattern to normalize. Travel year 2021 will be affected by the pandemic in a number of ways. Overall, the price level is expected to rise, according to TUI.
Norwegian has had a rough year due to the corona pandemic. Photo: NTB
Several airlines and travel companies have barely had a turnover in 2020 and have been threatened with bankruptcy. Norwegian has been rescued by shareholders multiple times this year in times of need. For several months this year, Norwegian has reported a decrease of more than 90 percent in passenger traffic, while SAS has reported a decrease of almost 80 percent.
Prices are currently low, but as demand increases, prices will also go up, says the main Virke organization. They advise people to review cancellation options more carefully and make sure they have good travel insurance before booking.
Believe in package tours
Many people spend Christmas booking trips for the next year. Virke predicts package travel will be popular this year as it provides additional protection against unforeseen events for consumers. It protects not only against the bankruptcy of the tour operator, but also against bankruptcies in aviation or at the destination.
– If the hotel or airline goes bankrupt, and these are bought as part of the tour package, the tour operator is obliged to organize a new flight with another company or a new hotel with the same or better standard, says leader Astrid Bergmål in Virke Reiseliv.
– No other travel option comes close to providing the same protection, and this is definitely the safest option for those who want to spend Christmas planning their summer vacation, she says.
