Get set for a hot date: THE FIRST EVER ‘NORDIC EXPOSED’ WORKSHOPS FOR AGENTS

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The ‘hottest’ event for the world’s ‘coolest’ destinations – the 2009 ‘Nordic Exposed’ agent workshops – with the theme  ‘Four Seasons and over 1000 Reasons to visit Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden’. The workshops will be held in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in early October highlighting the incredible year round experiences the Nordic region has to offer Australian visitors.

Hosted by the Scandinavian Tourist Board, Scandinavian Airlines and VisitFinland, the events will bring together key operators from all four countries for the first time ever in Australia. This will be a unique opportunity for agents to receive a comprehensive update on the diverse range of quality product in the market for 2010 and beyond.

“There are a thousand and more reasons to visit the Nordic region – literally – and our aim at the workshops will be to show agents as many of them as we can,” VisitFinland marketing representative Satu Raunola said.

“For a start, there are four amazingly rich and diverse seasons – from our famed long summer days and nights through to beautiful autumns, magical snowy winters and the freshness of spring as the forests, parks and gardens come alive with flora and fauna,” Raunola said.

“Think Finland – the summer festivals under the midnight sun, the traditional home of Santa Claus in snow-covered Lapland; think Sweden – the grandeur of Stockholm, stunning archipelagos, Northern Sweden Europe’s last wilderness; think Norway – the breathtaking fjords, the rich Viking heritage;  and think Denmark – Land of Fairytales with its Royal palaces, and world renowned cutting edge design. And that’s just the beginning!”  

Travel industry experts attending the workshops represent the strongest line up of Nordic travel product representatives that have ever gathered in Australia with attendees including Borealis Destination Management, DFDS Seaways, Fjord Norway, Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau, Hotel Union Geiranger, OneLapland and Visit Flåm.

Australian participants include representatives of Beyond Travel Group, Discover the World representing Hurtigruten Cruises, Globus & Cosmos, MyBentours, Nordic Travel, Scandinavian Airlines, Scandinavian Tourist Board and VisitFinland.

In 2008 a total of 179,867 overnight stays were registered for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – an 11.6 per cent increase on 2007.

“All four Nordic countries saw an increase in visitors from the Australian market last year. Sweden led the way with a huge jump of 19.7 per cent to 48,790 overnights with Finland close behind with a 17.2 per cent increase to 48,282 in overnights. Norway also grew – up 8.4 per cent to 45,118 visitors – and Denmark up 1.2 per cent to 37,677 visitors,” said Klara Leander, Marketing Representative for Scandinavian Tourist Board.

“The Nordic region is an exceptional destination and one being discovered by Australians clearly in ever-increasing numbers, so we are confident the demand for 2009/10 will continue to be strong,” Leander said.

“It truly is a unique part of Europe. From dog sledding with the Sami indigenous people in the far north to island hopping in the east, to cruising the fjords in the west to visiting royal castles in the south, the four countries offer a diverse year round smorgasbord of experiences for any traveller,” Leander said.

The ‘Nordic Exposed’ workshops will be held in Brisbane on Monday October 5 at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Melbourne on Tuesday October 6 at Denmark House and Sydney on Wednesday October 7 at the Australian National Maritime Museum.  All venues will be open at 5.30pm for a 6pm start and a media briefing will be held at 4pm on each day.