BRIDGE Travel Service is entering the Scandinavian market with the launch of a new brochure for the destination today.
The operator will offer all five countries and a mix of city breaks and longer holidays but claimed it will allow greater flexibility than other operators in the market.
Bridge general manager Phil Jenkins said the perception of the destination as a tough market because of high living costs was exaggerated.
“Over the years the destination has been known as expensive but the pound has been strong for the last 18 months and that has helped quite a bit,” he said. “When you look at some of the prices for a meal, it is not as expensive as people make out.”
Jenkins said research had shown an increase in interest in Scandinavia as the destination had taken on a fashionable image.
“Inquiries have grown by up to 20% as people are looking for a different type of place to visit and are getting more adventurous. Tallinn, for example, has become a trendy place to go,” he said.
The brochure features breaks to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, Reykjavik, Tallinn, Riga and Gothenburg, with a two-night lead-in price of ú247 including scheduled flights to Gothenburg.
Other holidays offered include Norwegian coastal cruises beyond the Arctic Circle from ú1,091; self-drive vacations in Denmark with stays close to Legoland leading in at ú197 for two nights; and fjord holidays in Norway with transfers to Voss and the SogneFjord at a lead-in of ú379 for two nights and tours.
Hotel-based holidays in Finland, centred on Turku, Mikkeli and Kuopio, are also offered and flagged as ideal for outdoor activities.
The flydrive lead-in for two nights is ú397. Tours of Iceland and Lapland will also befeatured.
Jenkins, who revealed an 18-month target of 7,000-10,000 passengers for the programme, said he believed prices were competitive, citing a lead-in of ú1,789 for two nights in Reykjavik sandwiching 11 nights on tour in Iceland.
First Choice axed its Scandinavia programme Sovereign Scanscape at the start of 1998 after admitting the brand had not been developed properly and might have been left at too junior a level.