by FFE Travel News Staff

Find out what Norway has in store for its travellers this 2014.

Wide fjords, snow-capped mountains and the Northern Lights — these are just some of Norway’s treasures that, shockingly, do not get enough exposure in Europe lately.

According to the director of Tourism in Innovation, Norway lost around 200,000 hotel stays in the past two years. The decline is part of a greater trend that sees Norway losing more European tourists: the number of German and Dutch visitors sank 14% from 2012 to 2013. Norway has also seen fewer visitors from Denmark, Sweden, Britain and Southern Europe.

Director Per-Arne Tuftin suspects that this is the result of the financial crisis, which is forcing tourists to visit other destinations: ‘The interest is there, but they are not booking. We need to find out why.’

Despite the poor figures in tourism, Norway continues to shine as a nature destination. One unique law that permits visitors to enjoy nature freely is called ‘allemannsrett’ which literally translates to ‘all men’s rights.’ Through this law, pitching tents and wild-berrying can be enjoyed by anyone as long as the land is uncultivated or ‘utmark.’

In addition, the weakening Krone will mean more value for other European currencies for up to 10–14%. Travelling through Norway will be cheaper for 2014.

Aside from these attractions, here are other reasons why Norway should be on your bucket list of destinations:

1. It’s safe. Norway has one of the lowest murder rates in the world at .6 homicides per 100,000 people.

2. It’s home to the happiest people on earth. Norway ranked 2^nd in the UN World Happiness Report 2013.

3. Fjords. There are around 1,190 fjords waiting to be explored in the country.

4. Midnight sun. Want to see the sun at 12mn? It’s possible during summer in Northern Norway.

5. More lakes. Norway surpasses Finland, the ‘Land of 1,000 Lakes,’ by hundreds of thousands more of these land-locked waters.

6. Wild reindeer. See Santa’s helpers as they run freely in the wild.

7. Polar bears. Another elusive critter to look out for.

8. Aquavit. Hard-core drinkers take note: Norwegians use beer as a chaser for this potato-based spirit.

9. Ski in the middle of summer. Mountains are still dressed in snow from May to mid-August.

10. There’s always some place to explore. Norway has 50,000 islands and 51,600 miles of coastline, and they’re all waiting for you!