RELATED • NORDICS • DENMARK • FINLAND • NORWAY • SWEDEN
Maximizing Each Holiday: Why Nordic People Travel
When traveling abroad, Nordic travelers especially search for unique and authentic activities, local flavors and new experiences. And most importantly, they want to get as many experiences as possible to take back home (and to post on social media).
Whether you want to position a destination, a hotel or another tourism product in the Nordics, there is one common travel trend to keep in mind: Nordic travelers want to maximize their holiday!
In a time where social media is frequently used, people’s travel experiences are shared with friends and family as part of self-promotion. This makes it important for travelers to maximize their holiday and include as many types of experiences as possible, as this offers many chances to promote themselves on social media.
Posting images from the same sunbed and pool side seven days in a row is not cool. So even though the Nordic travelers might like to relax during their holidays, they want to combine the relaxation with new and unique experiences. For example, they might go diving or snorkeling one day, eat local street food the next and visit a local village the following day.
Therefore, to attract Nordic visitors – almost no matter the kind of tourism product you have – presenting the different experiences that makes your product or destination unique is key. Whether it is home-grown herbs fresh from the garden in every meal, daily yoga classes, day trips to a local tribe or guided tours to the nearby hidden gems, almost all kinds of experiences are attractive as long as they have a unique and local touch.
There are five other Nordic travel trends to keep in mind:
UNIQUE AND LOCAL EXPERIENCES: Nordic travelers prefer diverse and unique local experiences during their holidays, giving them a feeling that they get to learn about the culture they are visiting.
FOOD IS A DRIVER: 80% of all Nordic travelers say that the possibility of interesting food-related experiences influences their choice of holiday destination. This counts local food stalls and renowned fine dining, but local flavors are always preferred.
NEW MEMORIES: “Finding new experiences” is the most common reason to travel (58%), followed by relaxation (57%) and warm temperatures (34%).
ACTIVE TRAVEL: Nordic travelers love being active while on holiday, either by taking many different excursions or by enjoying specific sports like biking, hiking, surfing or paddleboarding during their holiday.
SUSTAINABILITY: Ecotourism and sustainability are becoming increasingly popular among the Nordic travelers, and more and more are willing to pay more to get a sustainable travel alternative.
All the above data is gathered from the yearly survey “Travel Behaviour and Destination Images” conducted by Related in September 2018 with A&B Analyse among 4,200 respondents over the age of 18, distributed evenly across Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The data collected is weighted according to gender, age and geography, making the responses representative of the four Nordic countries – and giving the chance to look at each country individually.
Since 2014, Related has carried out this annual analysis of the Nordic outbound travel market. The survey ranks 101 destinations according to their image, awareness and attractiveness among the Nordic travelers. Furthermore, the survey reveals these travelers’ booking patterns, inspiration sources, important factors when choosing a holiday destination, and much more.
The data can be broken down into nationalities, age and segments – for example families and luxury travelers – to learn more about which group(s) of travelers has the biggest potential for a specific destination; and how to attract them.
For more information about this publication, please visit: Related: The Nordic Traveler
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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency member of Travel Consul.