The number of guest nights at hotels and other accommodation establishments rose by 33 percent from 2021 to 2022, returning to the same level as in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Norway: New figures from the accommodation statistics show that there were 36.1 million guest nights at commercial accommodation establishments in 2022. There were 27.1 million guest nights in 2021.
– There was an increased willingness to travel domestically in 2022 compared to 2021. At the same time foreign guest nights tripled, says senior adviser Kristin Aasestad in Statistics Norway.
Norwegian guest nights increased by 7.5 percent, compared to 2019.
Record for Norwegian guest nights at hotels
In 2022 there were over 18.4 million Norwegian guest nights at hotels. This was the highest number ever recorded by Statistics Norway for Norwegian guest nights in a single year. Foreign guest nights at hotels were three times higher than in 2021 but did not return to pre-pandemic levels. For every month, since the reopening in February last year, there have been more Norwegian guest nights compared to the corresponding month in 2019. Guest nights in 2022 were more evenly distributed throughout the year, just as before the pandemic.
Foreigners return to camping sites and holiday dwellings
There were almost 8.4 million guest nights at Norwegian camping sites in 2022. This represents a 4.6 percent increase from 2021. There were 5.8 million Norwegian guest nights, a decrease of 19 percent compared to 2021. An increase of 1.7 million foreign guest nights compensated for the decrease of Norwegian guest nights.
Guest nights at holiday dwelling and youth hostels increased for both Norwegian and foreign guest nights with 45 000 and 1.1 million guest nights respectively.
Regional differences
Guest nights at commercial accommodation establishments increased across all counties last year compared to 2021. The largest increases were in Oslo and Svalbard, the same regions that were hit hardest by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The increase in Norwegian guest nights was highest in Oslo, while Norwegian guest nights decreased in Nordland, Møre og Romsdal, Innlandet, and Agder. Foreign guest nights increased in all counties, with the highest increases in Vestland and Oslo.
Increased guest nights in December
There were 1.7 million guest nights at commercial accommodation establishments in December 2022. This was an increase of 36 percent compared to December 2021.
– Hotels contributed the most to the increase. The tourism industry had a good start to December 2021, before the outbreak of the omicron variant led to further restrictions. These had a major impact on accommodation establishments, says Kristin Aasestad.
Norwegian guest nights at hotels increased by 40 percent from December 2021 to December 2022. Foreign guest nights increased by 76 percent.
There were small increases at camping sites and holiday dwellings compared to December 2021, with 6.6 and 1.0 percent respectively.
