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“Frozen” Phenomenon Inspires Travel To Norway

The magic of Disney has seeped into the world of travel with its hit animated film “Frozen,” which has accumulated more than $400 million at the U.S. box office since its Nov. 27 release. In response to the movie’s popularity, Americans are increasingly booking individual and group travel to Norway.

According to VisitNorway, the country’s tourism marketing organization, tour operators have reported a 20 percent to 40 percent increase in sales to Norway. One tour operator, Wilderness Travel, reported the company’s Norway tours were 90 percent sold out before spring. The company added three new itineraries in March to help fill the demand, as well as to add more departures for the existing tours.

The new interest in Norway had help from a campaign that partnered VisitNorway and Disney in October, in advance of the film’s November release. The campaign ran through May 31 to raise awareness about Norway, on which the fictional kingdom of Arendelle is based.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Norway as a wonderful tourist destination,” said Per-Arne Tuftin, director of tourism at Innovation Norway at the launch of the campaign. “Disney is well known around the world, and we hope that in providing the backdrop to this film, Norway will appeal to the film’s fans, viewers of all ages who will be inspired to visit Norway and explore our beautiful country in the years ahead.”

The campaign featured promotions, special events and online exposure.

Less than one year after its release, Disney’s own tour brand, Adventures by Disney, has created a Norway itinerary for 2014. The eight-day tour features destinations that inspired the filmmakers in the creation of “Frozen.”

Total arrivals from New York at the Oslo airport were up 57 percent for the first quarter over last year, according to VisitNorway. The company also reported that visits by Americans to the website have tripled since the release of the movie.

For more information, read the article by Travel Weekly or visit www.visitnorway.com.