Check out the latest statistics about travel and tourism in Norway, including the number of annual tourists and the economic impact of this industry.
From the vibrant city of Oslo in the south to the awe-inspiring Lofoten islands in the north, there are so many wonderful places to visit in Norway.
And in recent years, tourism to this Scandinavia country has continued to become more and more popular, which has dramatically contributed to its economic growth.
Below we want to do a deep-dive into exactly this.
Takin a look at all of the key Norway travel and tourism statistics, tracking things like:
Overall tourism numbers to date
The financial contribution of tourism
Expectations for future growth in Norway's tourism industry
Let’s get stuck in…
Sources: We’ve included the reference for each statistic. You can also head over to the bottom of this post for a complete list of all the sources.
Note: Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read more in our Privacy Policy. Learn more about how we create and update content in our Publishing Guidelines.
In Q2 2023, there were 2.85 million tourists visiting Norway and a total of 7.65 million trips made.
Do Norwegians travel a lot?
Yes. However, the pandemic caused a decline in outbound tourism by Norwegians.
The number of outbound trips made by Norwegian tourists in Q2 2020 was 1.63 million, the lowest since 2018. This was a 26% decline from the 2.2 million trips in Q4 2019.
Which nationality visits Norway the most?
The nationality that visits Norway the most is German. There were 2.2 million overnight stays made by visitors from German in 2022.
Is Norway very expensive?
Norway is famously one of the most expensive countries to visit in Europe.
In 2019, tourists in Norway spent a total of 193.9 billion Norwegian kroner in tourism consumption.
In Q2 2023, there were 2.85 million tourists visiting Norway and a total of 7.65 million trips made.
In 2020, almost 85% of international tourist arrivals in Norway were from other European countries.
In 2020, almost 85% of international tourist arrivals in Norway were from other European countries.
The number of outbound trips made by Norwegian tourists in Q2 2020 was 1.63 million, the lowest since 2018.
Between October and December 2020, Norwegians made roughly 32 thousand outbound trips to Sweden, compared to the 310 thousand trips made in Q4 2019.
In 2019, Norwegian households spent 7.2% of their household expenditure on domestic tourist consumption.
In 2021, international tourist expenditure in Norway dropped to only 18.2 billion kroner (around 2.1 billion U.S. dollars), from 23.9 billion kroner in 2020.
There were 279.2 thousand jobs in travel and tourism in Norway in 2021, an increase from the 258.9 thousand jobs recorded in 2020.
In 2020, the most visited Norwegian county in terms of number of guest nights was Oslo. Hotels in Oslo received 1.2 million guest nights by holidaymakers.
Approximately 76,400 tourists arrived in Trondheim in October 2022.
Norway inbound tourism statistics
How many tourists visit Norway annually?
1. In Q2 2023, there were 2.85 million tourists visiting Norway and a total of 7.65 million trips made.
[SSB]
2. 31.69 million guest nights were recorded in Norway in Q2 2023, a slight 0.6% increase from Q2 2022.
[SSB]
3. In 2020, almost 85% of international tourist arrivals in Norway were from other European countries.
4. The second largest market for inbound tourism in Norway was the Americas, which contributed around 120 thousand inbound tourist arrivals that year.
[Statista]
5. In terms of country, the nationality that visits Norway the most is German. There were 2.2 million overnight stays made by visitors from German in 2022.
[Statista]
6. The Netherlands contribute the second highest number of overnight trips to Norway, with 1.06 million nights spent at accommodations in 2022.
[Statista]
7. Sweden, Denmark, and the USA round up the 5 leading inbound market for inbound tourism in Norway in 2022.
[Statista]
In 2022, tourists from Sweden spent 996 thousand nights in Norway, tourists from Denmark spent 830 thousand nights, and American tourists recorded 819 thousand nights.
8. Norway is also becoming a more popular travel destination for Chinese tourists. They spent a total of 177,138 nights in Norway in 2019.
[The Norway Guide]
9. Although representing only about 4% of the inbound tourist market share in 2019, tourists from China spent almost twice as much every day (2,400 NOK) compared to non-Chinese visitors (1,680 NOK).
[The Norway Guide]
Outbound tourism from Norway statistics
How many outbound trips do Norwegian tourists make?
10. The number of outbound trips made by Norwegian tourists in Q2 2020 was 1.63 million, the lowest since 2018. This was a 26% decline from the 2.2 million trips in Q4 2019.
[Statista]
The number rose to 2.8 million in Q3 2020 before declining again to 1.7 million in the last quarter of 2020.
11. Between October and December 2020, Norwegians made roughly 32 thousand outbound trips to Sweden, compared to the 310 thousand trips made in Q4 2019.
[Statista]
12. Outbound trips to the UK from Norway fell from 141 thousand in Q4 2019 to 16 thousand in Q4 2020.
13. The figures recovered to 131 thousand outbound trips to the UK in Q2 2023.
[SSB]
14. Outbound trips from Norway recovered in Q3 2022, reaching over 3 million in total.
[Statista]
15. A survey in March 2021 revealed that Spain was the most popular destination for a vacation among Norwegian travelers, with 27% of respondents wanting to visit Spain.
[Statista]
16. Denmark was the second most coveted destination for an overseas vacation for Norwegians (25%).
[Statista]
17. Tourists from Norway spent 75 billion kroner on long international trips in 2019, but this dropped significantly to 12 billion kroner in 2020.
[Statista]
18. A January 2021 survey showed that 13% of Norwegians claim to have a holiday budget of up to 10 thousand kroner for 2021. 4% answered having 75 thousand kroner or more for vacations.
[Statista]
Domestic tourism in Norway statistics
How important is domestic tourism in Norway?
19. In 2019, Norwegian households spent 7.2% of their household expenditure on domestic tourist consumption.
[Pub.norden.org]
20. The number of domestic overnight stays in Norway was at 19 million in 2018.
[Pub.norden.org]
21. Norwegians made 20.5 million domestic trips in 2021.
[Pub.norden.org]
22. Domestic tourists in Norway spent over 188 billion Norwegian kroner in 2022, which is expected to increase to 253.2 kroner in 2023.
[Statista]
Economic contribution of tourism in Norway
How much does tourism contribute to GDP in Norway?
23. In 2021, international tourist expenditure in Norway dropped to only 18.2 billion kroner (around 2.1 billion U.S. dollars), from 23.9 billion kroner in 2020.
[Statista]
24. In 2021, the tourism sector generated 223.4 billion Norwegian kroner for the country’s GDP.
[Statista]
25. This was an increase from 189.9 billion Norwegian kroner of GDP contribution in 2020, but has yet to recover to the pre-pandemic figures of 316.7 billion kroner in 2019.
[Statista]
26. Between 2011 and 2019, tourism consumption expenditure grew steadily, reaching 193.9 billion Norwegian kroner in 2019.
[Statista]
27. Air transport services represented the highest tourism expenditure in Norway, accounting for 33.2 billion Norwegian kroner in 2019.
[Statista]
28. This was followed by food and beverage services at 25.8 billion Norwegian kroner.
[Statista]
29. There were 279.2 thousand jobs in travel and tourism in Norway in 2021, an increase from the 258.9 thousand jobs recorded in 2020.
[Statista]
However, the number has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic levels at 303.3 thousand employment.
30. Based on the population of Norway in 2021, jobs in the travel and tourism industry represented 5.16% of the country’s population.
[Statista]
Areas that are more popular among tourists have a higher number.
Northern Norway is more sparsely populated and attract less tourism overall, but it’s still an incredible region worth visiting.
31. In 2019, domestic tourism consumption in Norway was recorded at 151 billion kroner, or 70% of the total tourism consumption.
[Pub.norden.org]
Accommodation in Norway statistics
How many hotels are there in Norway?
32. In 2019, 1,159 hotels and motels in Norway had restaurants, while only 80 hotels and motels did not have restaurants.
[Statista]
33. The city with the most hotels in Norway is Oslo, with 135 hotels or similar accommodations recorded in 2019.
34. Bergen had 71 hotels in 2019, Tromsø had 42, and Trondheim had 37.
[Statista]
The top six cities were rounded up by Stavanger (31 hotels) and Kristiansand (26 hotels)
35. In 2020, the most visited Norwegian county in terms of number of guest nights was Oslo. Hotels in Oslo received 1.2 million guest nights by holidaymakers and 800 thousand occupational nights, and 122 thousand hotel nights by business travelers.
Disclaimer: Fully research your destination prior to travel, or any products prior to purchase. We can accept no responsibility for anything you experience as a result of the information found on this website. Some posts may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission for some purchases, at no additional expense to you. Read more here.
As the type 1 diabetic half of Dream Big, Travel Far, I'm passionate about encouraging fellow type 1's to travel the world and not let their diabetes hold them back. I'm proud to now be a full-time digital nomad. Meaning I live my life working and travelling all over the world and am here to help you achieve your dreams as well in any way I can.
Leave a comment
Let us know what you think!