Norway is a country that has a lot to offer to those looking for exceptional natural beauty, according to Norway’s vice tourism minister.

“We see that many aspects of nature in Norway such as fjords, waters and coasts are the things that have attracted tourists because they are really special,” said Norway State Secretary of Ministry of Trade and Industry Halvard Ingebrigtsen, who also serves as the tourism vice minister, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday.

“Even for us Norwegians, there are a lot of things to discover and explore in Norway,” he said. 

Norway has seen the number of Korean tourists jump 20 percent, to 23,000, between 2010 and 2011.

Ingebrigtsen stressed that Koreans who have visited the country are one of the main contributors to the increase, because they talk about their travel experiences and motivate others to travel to the country.

“They are the best diplomats who have seen Norway and who tell their friends and families that it was the best experience,” said Ingebrigtsen.

Norway recently shifted the focus of its tourism promotion activities to Asia due to the potential increase in tourists from the region.

“We are focusing on Asia from a more strategic point of view. Asia will grow tremendously and more people will be travelling in the future,” he said.

He explained that they expect the number of European and American tourists to stay the same in the next 20 years and if they don’t plan for Asian tourists, they might lose in the tourism competition with other countries.

Tourism is one of the main industries in Norway along with energy and maritime industries, according to Ingebrigtsen.

Most Korean and other Asian tourists choose to visit Norway during the summer season, especially from June to August, because these months offer the best time to see different aspects of nature from fjords, mountains and experience outdoor activities in the extended daylight, lasting 24 hours a day.

“But winter is also a good time to see nature. People say it can be difficult because it’s too cold. But what they forget is that you can see the northern lights ― the scene which is impossible to see in other places,” he noted.

The mysterious northern lights can be seen in dark winter nights from late October to April in the counties of Nordland such as Troms and Finnmark.

To show the natural wonders of the country, Norway is running a country pavilion at the Yeosu Expo introducing its many different charms through Aug. 12.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)