Is overtourism really as much of a concern in Norway’s wild nature as this article makes it out to be, and is that why Norway’s scrapping tourism campaigns? I’ve visited a couple of times and while it’s a popular tourist destination if you can afford it, I didn’t think it was all that overcrowded.
by trying1more
14 comments
At least in Lofoten, it’s insane how many tourists come. The roads are clogged up with tourists in rental cars.
Maybe not overcrowded for other destinations like longer south. But for a country with quite under 6 Mio population it is quite a lot. And imho also too much.
In certain hotspots its absolutely a concern. If tourists spread out more evenly it would not have been a problem. But more beautiful / popular areas will obviously always have a higher amount of tourists. So lets welcome tourists, but lets not overdo it.
Tourists disproportionally displace inhabitants in small villages when it comes to several services like parking and access to public transport, in the places there are limits to this. It might not be overcrowded by Magaluf or ibiza standards, but the popular spots in Norway are exactly where there aren’t a lot of people to begin with. Every summer, our roads and ferries, and popular spots are completely clogged up with caravan tourists. This is no secret. Just look at the cruise ships completely blotting out the sun in Stavanger, or the tourists walking in single file unbroken lines up to the pulpit rock, kjeragbolten, Fløyen, or any number of other attractions.
But people are treating this like Norway is going to erect rwandan style border controls. We’re not. We’re just diverting funds from ad campaigns telling people to come here explicitly.
Whining about overtourism is just a socially acceptable way for leftists/progressives to be xenophobic.
There is E coli in the drinking water i Lofoten from all the shitting outdoors that tourists does.
Do the math
Tourism is putting pressure on small towns and villages that before saw next to nothing.
Toilets are missing, the roads are small and narrow, the locals aren’t stocked about having cruise ships or caravans parked outside their homes.
I visited several touristy areas this summer and a couple of those were not capable of handling the crowds. Buses and cars were blocking small single file roads that were never meant to handle the traffic thus creating dangerous situations everyday. People are defecating in gardens and on the trails. Litter is starting to be a real problem etc.
Expect this trend to increase as the NOK continues to fall and Norway becomes more affordable as a travel destination. It’s the last great wilderness in Europe, and now it’s also feasible for median European travel budget.
It’s overcrowded in popular spots even more now because of the insane heat in Southern Europe. So now more and more people from south travel north to experience a cooler summer.
The issue is also we have a lot of ferries in Norway. So big tourism with lots of campers, they fill up those ferries really fast and create several hours long ques. Its a nightmare for locals to get home from work who are relying on those ferries.
Imagine that normally locals would get home 17ish and now its more like 22ish
Hotspot areas are definitely being overrun (e.g. Lofoten). Furthermore, there is a discussion of what the tourism brings of value to Norway. Since a lot of tourists are just caravan tourists or cruise ship tourists. Neither of which bring much value to the Norwegian economy but put significant strains on infrastructure and the scenic nature.
To safeguard the communities affected as well as protecting the environment, it is quite important to get measures into place to prevent these issues.
Look at it per capita. Parts of western and northern Norway are way overcrowded, as very few people live there to begin with. Oslo (though a small city on a global scale), can of course handle more tourists.
They need to limit tourism. Tourists are disruptive and can be disrespectful of the land and communities.
The problem is that a few precise spots get all the visitors looking for a selfie while no one else goes to the 99% other beautiful areas of Norway. People are like zombie sheep trying to all have the same selfie in the same place. It’s the same in every other destination.
Didn’t see anyone mentioning campervans yet. I don’t live in one of the main tourist areas, yet in the summer on the roads 1 out of 5 cars is a campervan.
Every spot that is not locked etc is crowded by them, and if a spot has been found once, be sure the rest of the summer there will be one or more each day.
We hardly see them in the local shops or use the local campings. But they do use the places to dump their toilet and get fresh water for free.
Soo for us they are just parasites living as cheap as possible, just coming to Norway because they can camp free of charge.
If you add nothing to the country and only use its facilities and nature, then your impact it always negative. So happy if they are no longer encouraged to come.