Norway records its highest-ever number of hotel stays in July

Norwegian hotels recorded four million overnight stays in July, the highest number ever registered in a single month. The figures come from new data released by Statistics Norway.

Norwegian tourists accounted for 2.4 million of the stays, while foreign visitors made up 1.6 million. Oslo had the most overnight stays, followed by Vestland. The largest increases from July last year came in Oslo, Akershus and Innlandet.

Campsites also had a strong summer month, recording 3.1 million overnight stays, up 6.9 percent from July last year. Just over 2 million stays involved Norwegian visitors, while just under 1 million involved foreign guests. Innlandet ranked as Norway's largest camping county, with 473,000 overnight stays.

Arne-Jørgen Skurdal, tourism director at Visit Eastern Norway, pointed to summer weather and the weak Norwegian krone as explanations for the growth. “It is advantageous to come to Norway today, with a euro that is strong compared with the Norwegian krone,” he told NRK. He also said good weather in eastern Norway encouraged more Norwegians to spend their holidays in the region.

Hotel prices also reached a record level. A room cost an average of 1,600 kroner in July, 5.8 percent more than in the same month last year. Svalbard had the highest prices, followed by Møre og Romsdal and Agder.

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It is advantageous to come to Norway today, with a euro that is strong compared with the Norwegian krone.