After the government opened up for travel abroad on 5 July, the desire to travel among Norwegians has exploded.
Despite the fact that several Norwegian favorite destinations in Southern Europe are now marked in red on FHI’s map, there are still many who choose to travel.
– After the government opened up for travel in Europe, we have seen an increase of up to 50 percent in several of our destinations this summer, says communications manager Nora Aspengren in TUI to TV 2.
– INCREASE: TUI is experiencing a large increase in holiday bookings, says communications manager at TUI, Nora Aspengren. Photo: Truls Aagedal / TV 2
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The airline Norwegian is also experiencing strong growth.
– Sales of flights picked up very much at the beginning of the month, and we are very happy to say that we have received the highest number of bookings these weeks since a pandemic was declared in March 2020, writes Eline Skari in Norwegian in an e- mail to TV 2.
Thousands to the south
Over the past year, the Norwegian Directorate of Health has collaborated with an American company that can track where in the world Norwegian mobile phones are located. Among other things, the system has been used to send out notifications of changed entry requirements to Norwegians traveling.
TV 2 has gained access to updated figures that show exactly how many Norwegians are currently on holiday in the most infected countries in the south.
Spain reigns supreme, with 11,325 Norwegian tourists. 998 Norwegians have chosen Portugal’s beaches, while 2922 relax in Greece.
– Among the strictest entry measures
At present, Spain has an infection pressure that is ten times higher than in Norway. Northeastern parts of the country are hard hit, and no later than Thursday it was reported that the curfew in Barcelona and nearby areas is maintained due to high delta infection among unvaccinated, this wrote Associated Press.
In Portugal, too, the infection has increased regularly in recent weeks. According to national health authorities, the delta variant accounts for 86 per cent of cases on a national basis, and as much as 100 per cent of cases in the capital Lisbon.
In Greece, the infection is rising so sharply that the country will be orange on Monday on FHI’s infection map. This means that you must be quarantined when returning home if you have not been vaccinated.
– RISK: Line Vold in FHI says that the import infection is currently manageable, but that it is a risk. Photo: Goran Jorganovich / TV 2
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Despite the red numbers, FHI believes that the risk of import infection is manageable.
– We have among the strictest entry measures in Europe. There are good risk-reducing measures if you follow the rules that exist, and most people do. Nevertheless, there will be a risk that something may be missed, says department director Line Vold in FHI to TV 2.
Most vaccinated
This weekend, the tour operator TUI will start up its first charter routes to Greece. The head of communications has the impression that most of those who have ordered have been vaccinated.
– Many of them are vaccinated. People also plan their journey in relation to when they are fully vaccinated, says Nora Aspengren.
If you are fully vaccinated, you avoid both the test, quarantine and entry registration, even if you come from a red country. However, studies have shown that the vaccines are less effective against the delta variant.
– If there are very many arrivals and there is a small risk per person who comes to the country, the risk will increase somewhat if there are very many who enter, says Line Vold in FHI to TV 2.
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