In partnership with TTG Media, the initiative marks Norway’s first dedicated effort of this kind, working with a range of Norwegian travel providers to showcase the destination, its immersive experiences and range of unique accommodation.
The long-term goal for the project is to encourage sustainable growth in tourism to Norway by targeting high net worth travellers who spend money on accommodation, food and activities. In the short term, it’s hoped the initiative will establish a valuable network for the participating Norwegian companies so they can work together to develop relevant products for the high-end market in the UK.
To ignite interest, the project will unfold in two phases. The first is a fam trip for 10 UK tour operators to the fjord region and northern Norway in September/October. The six-night trip will provide an insight into the destination’s high end and experiential offerings and operators will be personally invited to attend, or can nominate themselves for selection, via TTG Luxury and Visit Norway.
The second phase of the campaign is set for November when 15 Norwegian partners will travel to London to engage directly with 20-25 carefully chosen UK travel designers, tour operators and high-end agents. The workshop event will continue the focus on fostering relationships through a day of pre booked one-to-one meetings and an immersive networking experience.
“The UK market is one of the most important for the Norwegian tourist industry and this is such an exciting project for us. We invited tourism providers from all over Norway to apply to be part of the programme at the beginning of the year and 15 companies have been selected. There were a number of selection criteria the companies had to fulfil and amongst the most important was the desire to be part of a network and work together to position Norway as a destination for high-end travellers – a relatively new segment for us,” said Britt Gorniok, project manager high end for Visit Norway.
“We have a great range of providers from across the country with amazing products and are really excited to introduce these to UK high-end operators and agents over the coming months,” she added.
The project has already seen an enthusiastic reception in Norway, with the 15 experience and accommodation providers – primarily small and medium-sized enterprises – having undergone a rigorous application and interview selection process, underscoring their commitment and potential.
“This strategic push into the high-end travel segment signifies a pivotal moment for Norway, promising to elevate its tourism industry and attract a new wave of discerning travellers,” said April Hutchinson, editor and publisher of TTG Luxury. “Using our knowledge of the luxury travel landscape here, in-depth experience of event organisation and leveraging many of the skills of our award-winning team, we are thrilled to be able to work with Norway on this exciting project.”
Tour operators focused on high end and experiential travel who are interested in attending the fam trip should contact April Hutchinson in the first instance for more information.
