News of Norway, February 24, 2004
Travel experts, journalists, and readers were asked to assess the 115 most infamous travel spots. Six criteria helped launch Norway to the top, including the beauty of the place, the quality of its preservation, and the lack of pollution.
Norway received a score of 82 on a scale of 1 to 100.
Identity shaper
"This is enormously important, and will give us a very high status," Leif Gjerde of Destination Geirangerfjord/Trollstigen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
"But is is also important because it gives Norway even grater identity as a tourist destination," he continued.
Børre Bergland, the CEO of the Norwegian Tourist Board, continues to receive promising news for Norwegian tourism. In an interview, he said that he feels this list will provide great publicity for the country.
Increase in tourism
Destinations just after Norway on the list include coastal parts of Canada, New Zealand, and Chile. Still more locations on the list were Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands, the Alps, Bahamas, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Norway’s tourism increased, by 3%, last year for the first time since 1998. Foreign visitors are also spending a greater amount of time in the country, overnighting 5% longer than in the year 2002. Many of the foreign visitors coming to enjoy Norway are from the neighboring countries of German, Sweden and Denmark.