Tourism direct GDP (2019) | Tourism direct employment (2019) | Tourism exports (2024) |
|---|---|---|
3.6% of total GDP (up 0.2 percentage points since 2018) | 7.3% of total employment (up 0.1 percentage points since 2018) | 13.9% of total service exports (up 1.6 percentage points from 2023) |
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026
National tourism strategy: Roadmap for the Tourism Industry (2024)
National tourism administration: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries
National tourism budget: NOK 175 million (2026)
Key tourism policy priorities and actions:
Developing sustainable and attractive destinations – Supporting communities to have the right infrastructure for sustainable tourism growth, including introducing the Act on Visitor Fees to provide funds to municipalities to finance public goods.
Marketing Norway as a tourist destination – Undertaking targeted marketing to attract the most profitable and sustainable customer segments to Norway, and developing a ‘Global Growth’ programme for the tourism sector.
Developing quality tourism products – Developing a broad range of profitable tourism products to increase their visibility in key markets and introducing new standards for tour guides.
Prior to the pandemic, the economic contribution of the tourism sector in Norway had increased considerably, reaching NOK 128.1 billion in 2019 and representing 3.6% of total GDP. Tourism was also a significant employer, particularly in rural areas, providing over 182 900 full-time jobs, or 7.3% of national employment in the same year. In 2024, travel exports represented 13.9% of total service exports, compared to 13.5% in 2019, and a pandemic low of 4.7% in 2021.
International tourism has recovered strongly. In 2025, Norway recorded 14.2 million international overnight stays in commercial accommodation establishments, surpassing the level in 2019 by 32%. The top source markets were Germany (18%), United States (12%) and Sweden (9%).
Domestic tourism for both leisure and business purposes dominates the tourism sector in Norway, accounting for 26.4 million domestic nights in commercial accommodation in 2025, which equates to 65% of all nights in commercial accommodation. This is 8% above 2019 levels.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries is responsible for developing and regulating tourism. The Ministry co-operates closely with other ministries on tourism issues, including:
The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, which provides oversight of regional and local authorities promoting tourism development.
The Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of Transport, which develops policies for a more sustainable tourism sector. It is responsible for planning and regulating infrastructure, utilities, national parks and natural and cultural heritage attractions.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, which promotes co-operation between farmers and food producers, restaurants and other sectors of the tourism sector.
Innovation Norway is the country’s national tourism organisation and is responsible for meeting economic growth targets for tourism and international marketing. It is primarily funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries but also receives funding from other ministries.
In 2026, Innovation Norway receives a total of NOK 175 million for its tourism-related activities. Innovation Norway allocates loans, grants, and guarantees to travel and tourism companies. In 2024, a total of NOK 162.6 million was allocated in pledges to the tourism sector.
Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, 2026.
The national ‘Roadmap for the Tourism Industry’ aims to facilitate a tourism sector that is competitive, has a decreasing climate and environmental footprint, respects the tolerance limits of nature and local communities, and contributes to profitable year-round jobs and attractive destinations throughout the country. The Roadmap has three focus areas, which are the core of the government's tourism policy:
Develop profitable products and an increasingly attractive tourism offer in Norway.
Develop Norwegian destinations in a more sustainable direction.
Develop international marketing efforts in a strategic manner, in line with ambitions for Norwegian tourism.
The Roadmap has over 40 measures, covering a range of themes, to contribute to achieving these goals. The themes include climate and environment, labour market, knowledge and expertise, transport networks, emergency preparedness and digitalisation. The measures include destination management, research and innovation, and financing of tourism related public goods.
The rapid growth in visitor numbers to some Norwegian regions has created the need to better manage the development of tourism. To help develop sustainable and attractive destinations, attention has turned towards developing tools to better manage tourism, including financing tourism-related infrastructure and creating models for co-operation between different actors at the destination level. The Roadmap emphasises the key role that municipalities play in steering the development of destinations. As such, it is important for municipalities to possess a good knowledge of destination development and the capacity to co-operate with the tourism sector. Many municipalities and regions have recognised the need to finance tourism-related public goods such as litter removal, path maintenance and cleaning of public toilets. To support these activities, the Act on Visitor fees was adopted in 2025. The purpose of the Act is to help finance tourism-related public goods through visitor fees in areas with a particularly high burden from tourism. The revenue from the fee will be distributed in its entirety to the municipalities (see box below).
Norway’s Parliament adopted a new Act on Visitor Fees on 10 June 2025, after wide public consultation. The purpose of the Act is to help finance tourism-related public goods though visitor fees in areas with a particularly high burden from tourism. It provides these municipalities with a new tool to deal with the challenges that can arise due to growth in tourism.
The law contains:
A voluntary municipal accommodation fee.
A legal basis that allows the government to introduce a tax on cruise activities.
A legal basis that allows the government to introduce a visitor fee for Longyearbyen.
The voluntary accommodation fee is 3% excluding VAT. The Act allows for seasonal adjustment, allowing for an overnight fee to be introduced for all or some months of the calendar year.
The revenue from the accommodation fee will go back in its entirety to the municipalities, so they can cover tourism-related public goods such as garbage disposal, cleaning of toilets, signage and facilitation of hiking trails for the benefit of both locals and other visitors.
Municipalities that introduce overnight fees must prepare a plan for the use of the revenues. The plan must contain a description of the tourism sector in the municipality and the challenges associated with high visitor numbers and justify why the introduction of the voluntary accommodation fee and the use of the revenues are in line with the purpose of the Act. The Ministry must approve the plan prior to introducing the overnight fee.
It has been decided that the law will enter into force on 1 July 2026. The government has also submitted proposals for a cruise fee and a visitor’s fee in Longyearbyen for public consultation. In addition, the government is consulting on supplementary regulations related to the accommodation fee.
Norway’s sustainable destinations and authentic experiences provide opportunities for further development and growth of the tourism sector. Targeted marketing can help contribute to the sustainable development of tourism by attracting the desired customer segments.
Another priority area for Norway is to develop a broader range of profitable tourism products and increase their visibility in key markets. The development of year-round tourism products can not only reduce seasonality, but also make it easier to recruit and retain skilled labour. Ensuring that these products and experiences meet the quality needs of visitors is vital to creating a prosperous tourism sector, and the introduction of new standards can help in this regard. For example, a Norwegian Standard for Guides would enable the Government to ensure increased professionalism, quality and safety in guided tourism experiences. In 2025, Standards Norway established a standardisation committee to develop a draft standard that will describe the basic competences for all tour guides, including the importance of local knowledge, safety, risk management and emergency preparedness. Funds from the Ministry of Trade Industry and Fisheries was committed to complete the process. The standard has been through a public consultation, but it has not yet been finalised and formally approved by Standards Norway.