Scandinavian cities might not be among the top 10 (or
even 20) short-break destinations, but they are attracting a
growing band of followers who are prepared to travel further afield
to experience something out of the ordinary.
Cresta cities product manager Michelle Evans said: “They
aren’t up there with Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin, but we have
seen a 4% to 5% growth in bookings to Stockholm and
Copenhagen.”
As has happened elsewhere in the short-breaks market, growth has
been fuelled by low-cost flights, which have done much to erode the
perception that Scandinavia is an expensive destination.
Ryanair flies from Stansted and Prestwick to Stockholm and
Gothenburg and EasyJet has flights from Stansted, Bristol and
Newcastle to Copenhagen.
Superbreak claims a 126% rise in Copenhagen hotel bookings in
the past 10 months, which it attributes to EasyJet’s decision
to increase its flights from the UK.
Sales director Ian Mounser said: “Similar patterns are occurring
in other Scandinavian cities and I expect to see these cities
continue to do well for accommodation-only.”
Cresta’s Evans pointed out: “Scandinavia will never be as
cheap as Paris – our lead-in there is £99, whereas
Stockholm and Copenhagen start at £199 – but it’s
not as expensive as people imagine. Clients are prepared to pay
more and stay longer because their trip is more likely to be a
one-off.”
Neilson’s decision to feature Norwegian capital Oslo as
its first weekend ski destination demonstrates operators’
confidence in this market.
Neilson expects clients to be attracted by the opportunity to
combine sightseeing and skiing in a single break. They will also
have the option of extending a seven-night ski holiday in one of
Norway’s main resorts with a short stay in Oslo.
Product manager Ian Davis said: “We picked Oslo for a short ski
break because of the availability of flights and the easy transfer
to the centre.
“It offers more than skiing – you’ve got good
shopping, museums, modern and traditional architecture and lovely
open park areas.”
Norwegian Coastal Voyage has three new short breaks to Norway
this winter following a sudden increase in demand for what is seen
as a “safe” destination, including a three-night Whale Safari and a
three-night tour including a night in the Alta Igloo hotel.
Head of business development Laurence Hicks had a warning for
agents who don’t feel inspired to sell Scandinavia. “The
trade has got to embrace these more unusual types of trips if they
are going to maintain their share of the short-breaks market,” he
said.
“Self-packaging to traditional destinations like Paris and
Amsterdam is a reality, and probably contributed to
Travelscene’s demise. So agents have got to offer clients
something different, like Norway, to keep this business.”
Scandinavia is not just for long weekends, however. Transun,
which sells trips to Lapland during the winter, says there are
enough activities to keep a family occupied for a week or more. The
operator started out offering day trips to visit Santa Claus, but
has introduced seven-night holidays to several resorts for the
first time this winter.
Publicity manager Gary O’Brien said: “Clients were asking
us if they could stay longer. There is such a lot to do –
from sleigh rides to husky dog sledding to skiing.”
