Posts Tagged ‘tourism’
Oulu strengthened its status as an international conference city in 2025 – the Capital of Culture year began with strong growth in tourism
Oulu’s position as an international conference and congress city was strengthened by the growth in events held in 2025. At the same time, recent tourism statistics show that 2026 has started strongly for both tourism in Oulu and the Pohjola Route region. This growth is supported by increased event activity, the visibility brought by the Capital of Culture year, and growing international interest in Northern Finland.
According to recent statistics from the Finland Convention Bureau, 36 international congresses were held in Oulu last year, which is five more than in 2024. This result placed Oulu sixth in the comparison of Finnish congress cities.
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Originally published on 9 Mar
Read MoreBaltic Sea Cruise Activity Rises in 2025 as More Ports See Growth
The newly published Cruise Baltic Market Review shows broad‑based growth in 2025, with many medium‑sized and large destinations reporting increases in calls, guests, and turnarounds. This indicates a more balanced and resilient regional cruise market.
In 2025, the cruise activity in the region increased from 2024 in terms of guests, port calls, and turnarounds with respectively 12.3%, 12.8%, and 5.6%.
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Originally published on 2 Mar
Read MoreHurtigruten opens a new route from Copenhagen to North Cape and Tromsø
Hurtigruten is launching a new sailing from Copenhagen to Tromsø via North Cape as one of three new routes along Norway’s coast. The new itinerary gives Scandinavians and international travelers the opportunity to journey from the continent to the Arctic, with stops in some of Norway’s most iconic coastal towns and natural areas.
Demand from Scandinavia is growing strongly. The number of Danish customers has increased by 17 percent from 2024 to 2025, while the number of Swedish travelers has grown by 20 percent during the same period.
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Originally published on 12 Feb
Read MoreCross-border collaboration can strengthen sustainable cultural tourism
Strong and durable collaboration between cultural actors and tourism stakeholders across Northern Sweden and Northern Finland could play an important role in strengthening regional development in the Bothnian Arc. This conclusion is presented in a new white paper produced within the ACCENT project, a cross-border collaboration between the University of Oulu, Luleå University of Technology, LTU Business, and the Oulu Culture Foundation.
The white paper, Opening pathways to sustainable cultural tourism in the North, presents evidence-based insights from the ACCENT project on how culture-led tourism can support sustainable regional development across Northern Sweden and Northern Finland.
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Originally published on 9 Feb
Read MoreCopenhagen wins Best Northern Europe Cruise Port award
Copenhagen has been voted Best Northern Europe Cruise Port by Spanish‑speaking cruise guests at the prestigious Cruceroadicto 2025 Awards. This is the fourth cruise award won by Copenhagen during the past five months
Award winners are determined directly by votes from Spanish‑speaking cruise guests who have travelled at least once on a cruise during the past 12 months. Candidate ports for the award are only those accessible to the Spanish‑speaking market. With almost 70,000 arrivals in 2025, Spanish cruise guests made up the third-largest single nationality group visiting the Danish capital by ship.
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Originally published on 6 Feb
Read MoreBring out the troll Bornholm’s mascot gets a redux
For an elusive troll, Bornholm’s Krølle Bølle is surprisingly easy to find. Pop into a tourist shop and you will see his likeness on any sort of merchandise imaginable. Originally a good-night story inspired by local legends and told by its creator to his children, Krølle Bølle was introduced to the rest of Denmark in print eighty years ago this year. Overuse led Krølle-Bølle to be associated with the sort of tourism no-one wants to be associated with, and, for the past few decades, the island’s tourism industry has excluded its most recognisable figure from its marketing. The low point came in 2008, when a dairy on the mainland bought the rights to the Krølle Bølle Is, an ice-cream novelty that came on the market in 1958.
These days, though, Krølle Bølle appears to have been rehabilitated. In 2023, Bornholms Ismejeri, a dairy, brought production of the ice-cream novelty back to the island—upgrading it to a premium-quality product in the process. That same year, the silhouettes of Krølle Bølle and Krølle Borra, his sister, were added to crossing lights at intersections in Rønne, the island’s administrative seat. This weekend, a partly-animated film featuring Krølle Bølle that is due for national distribution premiered in Rønne, marking the first time the figure has appeared on a screen of any sort.
Rumour has it Walt Disney had expressed an interest in co-opting the story for his studio in the 1950s. True or not, ultimately, it took a Bornholmer, Nina Lyng, a producer who was born on the island, to get it on the screen. Part of the film’s magic is the combination of live action and animation, another appears to be the spell it has cast on the local tourism industry: Destination Bornholm, which promotes the island on behalf of the council, describes Krølle Bølle as a symbol of Bornholm’s culture and identity, and is planning an advertising campaign in connection with the film’s national premiere. In other words, Krølle Bølle, is precisely the sort of marketing opportunity it wants to be associated with.
Read MoreStrong cruise performance in 2025 and positive outlook for 2026
Across Copenhagen, Malmö, and Visby, the cruise segment continues to show resilience and strong growth potential. The trends for 2026 reflect a clear focus on extended seasons, increased turn‑around calls, shore power and new ship deployments — reinforcing the region’s strategic importance in the European cruise market.
The 2025 cruise season in Copenhagen performed as expected, with 316 calls and almost 866,500 passengers. Additional calls were recorded due to ship repositioning from other regions, underlining Copenhagen’s role as a key Northern European hub.
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Originally published on 29 Jan
Read MoreThe Baltic Sea is not the alternative – it is the future of cruising
Cruising is entering a new phase. As travel trends shift toward authenticity, sustainability and emotional value, Northern Europe – and the Baltic Sea in particular – is increasingly aligned with the expectations of tomorrow’s cruise passengers. Across the travel sector, demand is moving away from overcrowded destinations and toward places that offer cultural depth and a sense of genuine discovery.
In this context, the Baltic Sea stands out not because it is spectacular in scale, but because it is coherent in character. Its destinations share a broadly similar planning culture, social stability and relationship with nature. For cruise operators, this creates itineraries that are efficient to operate yet rich in content, without the growing friction associated with over-tourism. One of the Baltic’s defining strengths is easy access. Many ports are located close to city centres or directly integrated into small towns, allowing passengers to explore on foot rather than through long transfers. This reflects passenger preferences identified by Cruise Lines International Association, which show growing satisfaction with ports offering walkability, easy access and authentic local environments. Whether in larger cities such as Helsinki, Tallinn or Stockholm, or in smaller destinations like Kotka and Kalmar, proximity and immediacy play a central role in shaping the shore experience.
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Originally published on 26 Jan
Read MoreChristmas island Winter tourism on Bornholm finds its toe-hold
Mention Bornholm to any Dane, and they will immediately think of summer. That is a problem for an island that is looking to promote itself as a place to visit year-round. So far, efforts to promote winter tourism—including a pledge by shopkeepers to stay open throughout the off-season—have sputtered. Zero in on December, though, and Christmas, at least, is beginning to look a lot like a success story. The success of Bornholm’s Christmas markets, though relatively new, can already be read in the statistics: since 2021, when Destination Bornholm, the municipally funded tourism bureau, began marketing them to people on the mainland, the number of overnight says for November and December have doubled.
Bornholm’s markets have neither the size nor the history of those held elsewhere, but, say attendees, that is precisely their draw. The focus, instead, is on quality; locally produced handicrafts are the main fare. Group Bornholm, a tourism agency, this year organised its first tour for Germans to visit the island’s Christmas markets. Most of the thirty people along on the sold-out trip had rave reviews for the smaller scale and intimacy of the island’s markets, and many said they would be interested in seeing the island at another time of year. This will not be the last Christmas for Bornholm’s markets.
(📸 Toxophilus)
Read MoreIt is what it was Svaneke recognised for preserving its built heritage
Denmark’s culture ministry has named the town of Svaneke (pop 1,000) on the island of Bornholm, as one the country’s best-preserved examples of its built heritage. In all, 16 places ranging from entire villages to the centre of Copenhagen, all of them dating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, were selected as examples of how historic areas can retain their distinct characteristics, while also functioning as modern inhabited areas. The designations are meant to be an inspiration for other places in Denmark from the same time period. For the 16 sites that made the list, the local councils that are responsible for them will be required to place preservation on par with development when making decisions about them.
Some towns might see that as a threat, but, for Svaneke, it is a relief and a recognition of the work local groups have put into keeping the town looking much the same as it did in the 19th century—to the extent that the owners of homes whose chimneys had been removed by past owners were at one point told to add one, even if it served no function. Their fervour and attention to detail has already been twice honoured: first in 1975, by the Council of Europe, and again in 2014 by Danes in a popular vote to find the country’s prettiest market town.
When the European award was given, Palle Lauring, a popular historian, said of the town’s efforts, “the people of Svaneke were satisfied that their town was as it was.” Apparently, visitors have been too. Svaneke is the most visited town on Bornholm, and Bornholm is Denmark’s biggest tourism destination. That can make Svaneke a crowded place during the high season, but, those who come say it is a nice place to visit because people want to live there.
(📸 A Savin)
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