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It will only get colder in Norway in the coming months, and then it’s no wonder some people miss the warmer weather.
For most people, the 2020 summer vacation was a waste, so one had to focus on the summer of 2021 instead. There are also many who have done it in recent weeks, we must believe the companies travel.
– We see that many are on our website and we dream. Even if you can’t travel now, there is no question that the desire to travel is there, says communications manager Nora Aspengren at TUI.
Apollo Reiser also experiences that many Norwegians want to go south.
– It is difficult to know what will happen in the future, but we see a huge desire to travel. A survey of our clients shows that nearly 60 percent will travel abroad as soon as possible, says public relations and content manager Beatriz Rivera at Apollo.
Extended travel tips
Due to the corona pandemic, Norwegians are advised not to travel abroad at least until early next year. In late September, the Foreign Ministry extended its travel advice globally from October 1 to January 15.
– We are still far from a normal situation and the infection situation is changing rapidly. Therefore, we chose to continue with the Global Travel Council, which advises against travel that is not strictly necessary for all countries. We continue to make exceptions for EEA / Schengen countries that have a low enough spread of infection. The travel advice exceptions are not an invitation to travel abroad, Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide said in September.
TUI and Apollo see that the Norwegians are hopeful for a better corona situation next year, and that some are already placing orders.
– People book trips already from January to summer, so there are many who want to get out and travel as soon as possible, says Aspengren.
Apollo says that surprisingly many chose to postpone their travels from 2020 to 2021.
The traps if you travel to the red lands
– Therefore, we are already ahead of the normal sales for the summer of 2021, but it is still early. Recently, we’ve seen a marked increase in people requesting vacations into next year, Rivera says.
Alarm condition
Typically, Spain is a very popular holiday destination for Norwegians. However, Spain is not the favorite of those who are now booking vacations for the summer of 2021. It is probably related to the contagion situation in the country.
On Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a state of national emergency in the country, which will last until May 2021 if approved by the National Assembly. This means, among other things, a curfew from 11pm to 6am throughout the country except the Canary Islands.
The alarm condition allows regions to have the authority to restrict inbound and outbound travel and extend the curfew if necessary.
On Wednesday, Spain became the first country in Europe to record more than one million corona infections, and nearly 35,000 people have died from the virus so far. Sánchez said earlier this week that the true figure is probably three million infected, NTB writes.
Spain was practically closed from March 15 to June 21, a measure that was one of the strictest in Europe. Sánchez says he wants to avoid such a strict closure at all costs.
The favorite
While few dare to book trips to Spain for next year’s summer holidays, travel companies say that it is a country that really stands out as a Norwegian favorite.
TUI Head of Communications, Nora Aspengren. Photo: TUI
– Greece is clearly the most popular, Greece is also usually a popular country, but now it stands out relative to other destinations, says Aspengren.
The latest figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control show that Spain has 394 infected per 100,000 inhabitants. By comparison, Greece has fewer than 79 infected per 100,000 inhabitants.
– Greece has managed to control the infection and has remained stable. Several traveled there this summer and experienced things working out. We see Greece standing out as a popular destination with people from all over Europe, says Aspengren.
She says that most adults choose to book a summer vacation for 2021 now, while families with children are more hesitant.
– Of course we are not at the normal sales level, but there is constant pressure. There is no doubt that many people are on the website and dreaming of places like the Maldives, says Aspengren.
People choose safe destinations
Apollo also sees that Greece is unusually popular compared to other countries.
– It is above all what the people of Greece want. They see that the Greek authorities have been good at dealing with the coronavirus compared to other countries. Much of this is likely also due to the fact that many people want to choose safe destinations where they know it is a good arrangement, Rivera says.
Apollo Reiser Public Relations and Information Manager, Beatriz Rivera Photo: Apollo
He emphasizes that the figures are low compared to usual, but also points out that the summer of 2021 is a long way off.
– We probably don’t think that it will be the same sales boom that we usually have in the Christmas space, because many will probably wait to see how things evolve. It is understandable that people are waiting, but at the same time we see a great desire to travel, says Rivera.
TUI and Apollo hope that it will be possible to travel again soon.
– It depends entirely on further development, and we will probably have to get closer to summer to find out more about what it will be like. The next few months will be important, says Aspengren.
– Of course, it is completely impossible to know for both us and customers. But we are positive and hope things will look better in the summer, says Rivera.
Many will travel with the “green light”
Airlines are still in a very difficult situation due to travel restrictions. Figures from Finn Reise show that domestic travel is now almost exclusively booked.
Finn Reise Commercial Director, Terje Berge. Photo: Caroline Roka / Finn
– We see some flight bookings to Istanbul, London, Bangkok, Alicante and Gran Canaria, but in practice there is an end point of bookings abroad. There are domestic trips that keep flight bookings alive, says commercial director Terje Berge at Finn Reise.
He says that few believe in traveling abroad this winter, but that many will travel next summer if there is a “green light.”
– It all depends on external factors such as travel advice and whether there is a vaccine. When these factors are present, it will be exciting to see if there is a strong pent-up need to travel again, Berge says.
Finn Reise also experiences that many Norwegians are on the website to view multiple trips, while waiting with reservations.
– This may change as the industry has set very liberal cancellation rules and any cancellation must be promptly refunded, says Berge.
