News   •   January 13th, 2023

United Spirit Nordic team participated in Norway’s leading B2B event in Oslo

United Spirit Nordic was present at the B2B Travel fair Travel Match 2023 in Oslo, representing 5 clients. 

We represented the Caribbean destination St. Martin,  The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Oman, the DMC Arabian Adventures and DMC Destination Asia. Finally, we also had the Saudi Tourism Authority present, under the good care of Agnes, our newest colleague on the Saudi team. 

TravelMatch is the largest B2B event, gathering most of the travel trade professionals in Norway. The setup is speed-dating – with 15-minute pre-booked meetings and scheduled breaks for networking. It has proven successful and efficient, appreciated by buyers and exhibitors. 

It was a perfect chance to meet with Norwegian travel trade and media in person in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Our team engaged in fruitful conversations with existing and prospective partners: travel agents, aviation stakeholders, travel journalists, and influencers. 

Grand Travel Award is the yearly event celebrating the Norwegian travel trade with award ceremonies. It takes place every year on the evening, after Trave lMatch. This is a great way to end a productive day, celebrating the personas and companies that make this industry so special.

The Grand Travel Awards 2023 was a unique and rewarding event to witness, not least because it was the first time back after the Covid-19 pandemic. As the awards were distributed based on 2022 results, there were many emotional speeches about the hard times endured during the pandemic lockdown. 

Most notably, two arch-competitors in Norway – Thon Hotels and Nordic Choice Hotels, jointly received the honorary award. This is the first time two competitors are awarded the honorary award together. But the conditions faced under the pandemic were unprecedented. 

The CEOs of each company, Morten Thorvaldsen and Torgeir Silseth, respectively, received the prize and had a moment on stage, where they acknowledged the strength in joining forces had been necessary during hard times. 

The next TravelMatch and Grand Travel Award in Norway will be on January 11th, 2024 (link til TravelMatch) 

News   •   April 24th, 2022

The latest Nordic Economic Outlook report from Danske Bank has confirmed what most of us already knew about the Nordic outlook.

• The Nordic economies were recovering well post-pandemic as covid restrictions were removed. Growth has been strong and the increased demand for labour has seen low unemployment and even some labour shortages in key sectors.
• The Russian invasion of Ukraine has started to put the brakes on that recovery. It has been pushing up energy prices and to a lesser extent food and other commodity prices.
• This supply led inflation is not being matched by a rise in wages. It will cause a real reduction in purchasing power, at least in the short term.
• There are clear signals that interest rates are on the way up
• The average consumer is however in a reasonable place with a strong job market and historically high levels of savings. This will be providing some cushion against current uncertainties.
• With the exception of Finland and its strong trading ties to Russia, all Nordic countries are relatively well placed compared to their European counterparts.

We concur with the Danske Bank base case that the war in Ukraine will continue this year but will not expand outside Ukraine.

So what is this scenario likely to mean for the Nordic outbound travel market.

We think Summer 22 will bring some good news for the travel industry with the recovery of international travel remaining strong

• Geopolitical uncertainty is never good for international travel. This will undoubtedly cause some people to holiday at home. But it is pent up demand for wider travel post-pandemic and most still intend to travel internationally this year, funding trips both from current income and savings.
• The prices of overseas holidays may be higher than anticipated. Mostly not least because of increased fuel costs, but the currently expected increases will not deter travellers who have foregone such holidays for the past two years.

For travel beyond this summer, we are still optimistic that the recovery will continue. We do think that the current headwinds may cause travel decisions to be delayed until closer to planned departure dates.

Of course, that could all change if things play out differently in Ukraine.

If you like to keep updated on the Nordic travel market, be sure to follow our Nordic market news blog.   It is updated weekly with the relevant news from the Nordic Travel Trade.

Source: Danske Bank Nordic outlook report

News Online

BLOG: News update in English about the Nordic travel industry

Below is the United Spirit Nordic online blog. It includes commentary and links to articles from all the Nordic countries’ travel trade media.

we update this blog regularly. As we strive to include updates from reliable news outlets and official government/agency bulletins. This is your connection to the Nordic market with all the updates you need about the market.

News   •   June 4th, 2021

The Nordic full-service agency Related, with several international tourist destinations on the client list, just entered into a strategic partnership with the PR and marketing agency United Spirit Nordic who are also specialized in the tourism industry.

The agencies Related and United Spirit Nordic who are both specialized within PR, marketing, and sales within the travel industry now enter into a strategic partnership aiming to let both parties draw on each other’s experience and knowledge.

– Both Related and United Spirit Nordic have been in the industry for many years and as companies we share the same values – both relating to our employees and our clients. Through this partnership we believe that we can make each other better. It also gives more flexibility to both parties since it gives us additional capacity in busy periods. Further, the clients on both sides can benefit from the additional, strong competences we both get added, says Henrik Koch, CEO and owner of Related, who are Nordic representatives for the Maldives, Japan, Dubai, Malta, Flanders and more.

 – The complementary skills and experience of United Spirit Nordic and Related will add a new dimension for both organizations. Both companies have built strong brands in the Nordic market and this strategic partnership will further enhance this position. We look forward to working with Henrik and his team to deliver additional value for all our clients.” Says Christine Engen, owner of United Spirit Nordic, who are the Nordic representatives for Jamaica Tourist Office among others

As part of this partnership, United Spirit Nordic will also be part of the network Related Minds which is currently under development and will be fully established within the coming half year.

– Related Minds will be an umbrella organization for Related and our sister companies and strategic partners – and relates to the way we are, work, and act like companies. Related Minds is a common set of values, visions, and processes across all companies; both in terms of how we are as a workplace and as business partners, explains Henrik Koch.

Related and United Spirits Nordic will now use the coming months on aligning and streamlining processes and procedures and have already slowly started drawing on each other’s competencies.

About United Spirit Nordic

United Spirit Nordic is a Copenhagen based PR and marketing agency specialized in the tourism industry. The agency was founded by Norwegian Christine Engen in 2003. United Spirit Nordic handles PR, communication, marketing and sales in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The client list includes Jamaica, Viva Cruises, Destination Asia, Abama Luxury Residences, Arabian Adventures and Access Holidays. United Spirit Nordic has office in Copenhagen.

www. unitedspiritnordic.com

News   •   October 1st, 2020

YouGov and Havas DK has done an analysis regarding how Danes will spend their holiday pay if they decide to have this paid out in Q4 2020. Danes have holiday pay “frozen” in a fund due to a change in our holiday system last year. This money has now been released, to those that would like to have extra money to spend now, instead of when they retire.

1.3 million Danes are ready to use their holiday pay immediately. Before corona-outbreak, there was a focus on reducing spending and change the “throw-away and buy new” culture due to environmental issues. Now there is a tendency to keep spending and even increase the spending to keep the economy going, so if you have a marketing budget available, this is the time to start planning for campaigns.

According to the analysis, it is housing and home that consumers are mostly interested to invest and spend money on. It can be new things for the home, renovation is one of the most things Danes will invest their frozen holiday pay, due to be paid out this month, in. Like the rest of the world, most Danes have already spent a lot of time at home during the corona crisis.  It seems that this has given us a lot of new ideas on how to improve our homes and houses. The analysis gives us hints that consumers have a hunger for new ideas and possibilities. This gives companies that work within areas like kitchen, furniture, flooring, etc to be more present in the market and create more awareness if they like to have a part of that spending.

The travel section seems also to get a boost when the holiday pay is available. It seems that Danes are ready to travel again, but of course with the circumstances presently there are challenges. The analysis points out that there is only 9% that will spend their holiday pay on holidays abroad, which probably is also related to that there presently are several travel restrictions in place. But the analysis can see that there is an increasing number of consumers that expect to spend their holiday abroad when looking further into 2021.

So what can you as a destination, hotel, or DMC take from this? Spend the time from now and until travel advisory lifts wisely. Be sure to be on top of mind and build a strong foundation for a call-to-action and sale to your destination, hotel, or with your products, when the world opens up again. Consumers are ready to travel when they can.

The analysis shows that 54% of all Danes would take the opportunity to have their frozen holiday pay, paid out when it opens up for it. That is around 2,5 million Danes. 51% that will have their holiday pay paid out, will use them for installments or investments in stocks or obligations. 52% will use them immediately on consumption

Source: Markedsforing.dk 

Opinions   •   May 5, 2020

These days our situation is changing every day. Nothing is sure for long. It is hard to keep up with everything that is happening, so these are my thoughts on what the future could look like. The travel industry is experiencing a big hit. An absurd amount of money is being lost every day during this pandemic. Everyone working in the industry seems affected. There are no winners.

Cruise industry

The cruise industry has been hard hit. Over 13 million people cruise every year. There are several factors to play out on a restart. Unless a ship has been kept on hot standby how will the typically international crew be reassembled? How will passengers get to the departure port? Most of all, where are they going to go? Which countries and ports will accept a cruise ship?

Will small ships and sailing ships come back stronger than the big ones, as they have fewer people on board? Will the over 70’s return early given that many have been warned by their governments not to go on a cruise ship?

Travel Trade.

The travel trade around the world is experiencing financial pain. Tour operators are having to refund holidays that have been canceled before they are refunded by airlines and hotels. It is hard for both small and big companies to pay back the money when they have no income. Do we as travelers take a voucher to support travel trade when at the same time, we all need money to survive?

Airlines

Airlines are probably in the worst position. Some have already gone into administration. Others are relying on government support to survive. In the short term, all will expect to see a reduction in operations. When traveling, social distancing will still be in place. Planes will be less full and airport processing will take longer.

With fewer people traveling, less choice of destinations and airlines, will travelers be paying more? Social distancing will control a lot of the passenger demand and airline seat supply. Is it going to be 1 or 2 meters between passengers? Does the middle seat need to be available? All these measurements will affect the capacity of aircraft and prices.

After 9/11 we saw Ryanair come out with 10 GBP tickets, just to get people traveling again. The same happened after the first Gulf war, as airlines launched major sales.

What we probably will see is carriers getting more efficient. With excess capacity in the market newer, fuel-efficient planes will be the norm.

2019 the best travel year for consumers? 2019 was a year that saw highly competitive prices, peak mobility, and a wide range of airlines to choose from. Do we think we will see this again in the next 4-5 years?

Hotels

Hotels are opening slowly in some destinations but many plan to stay closed for several weeks. How will our hotel stay look like in the near future? There will be no buffets. Meals will be served by the table or in food boxes, sanitizing gear will be everywhere, social distancing will limit communal gatherings in reception areas and bars. Most big chains will survive but what will happen to small family hotels? Will they see a better future? Will financial pressures cause many travelers to seek more modest accommodation? What is certain is that our travel patterns will change.

Traveling in summer 2020?

Will we see any traveling in summer 2020 if no vaccine is available? Much depends on flight availability and travel bans around the world. There are a few factors that will affect this:

1. How do we get to the airport? Public transport, trains or other means of transport.
2. Will our governments allow us to travel?
3. Will people travel when there remains a risk of being stuck or quarantined?
4. Will the destination country let you in? Some destinations like the Greek Islands may be selective about which source market tourists they accept.
5. Will you need to quarantine when you return home?

We will most likely see that lifting quarantine rules will go hand in hand with lifting travel bans.

Which source markets will be most in demand as travelers?

That brings us to another question. Will the countries with the most coronavirus cases be more or less welcome as tourists? Will we see bilateral agreements between countries? It could be the same as before the lock-down, that countries excluded passengers from other countries with high infection levels. We might see that destinations will open doors first to countries that managed the virus best.

Will we be better travelers?

How do we see travel and booking patterns changing? Will products like cruise retain their long lead times for bookings or will people who have missed out on this year’s holidays book for immediate travel?

Will we be better tourists? Will we treasure traveling more as we have been deprived of it for weeks and months? Will we take fewer trips but make more of them, spending more time and money at the destination to experience more? Having had a break from us will all destinations want us back next season?

Travel behavior

When the world opens up again will people be eager to book a flight, or will they be afraid to travel? If people are afraid will they stick to safe places, close by countries and well-known destinations? And for the rest of us, will we be as adventurous as before at ticking off those new destinations and experiences? We need adventurous people to be out there showing others that travel is safe again and reminding us of the good times we have been missing.

Traveling by car or flight?

For those of us who live in Europe, we are used to traveling by car for our summer holiday. But driving this summer might be more of an issue. Which countries will you have to go through to get to your destination? Will all borders be open in Spain, France, and Italy? No matter how fantastic driving through Europe is, it might be easier to fly.

Everything is uncertain

In the next weeks and months, as travel opens up again, these are some of the questions we will be asking, and there will be new ones coming up every day. We are learning more about the virus every day and will find ways to live with it so that normality can resume.

But sure of one thing. We will be traveling again.