Norwegian to double flight capacity for Costa del Sol after signing agreement with the Tourist Board

Today, the Costa del Sol Tourist Board sealed an important strategic alliance with Norwegian in the context of a series of business meetings with tour operators, airlines, and media that are being held in Scandinavian cities –namely, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.

During the announcement of the Norwegian-Costa del Sol Tourist Board alliance, the airline informed they are planning to double the capacity of their flights to the Costa del Sol, increasing the seats available in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden to 175,672 (+105%). In the high season, Norwegian serves 32 direct flights to Málaga from Scandinavia.

After signing the agreement with Norwegian Marketing Manager Kine Bergseth, Tourist Board President Salvador Pendón said it was expected to increase the number of Scandinavian airport arrivals even further in the next few months.

The agreement includes an online marking campaign on the Norwegian website, www.norwegian.com, where users will find special Costa del Sol flight discounts and exclusive products for Málaga Province. The campaign is expected to draw users and increase sales, as it will be supported with offline and emailing campaigns reaching three million regular Norwegian travellers. In addition, the magazine distribute on board will include information on our travel destination.

The signing of the agreement was followed by a press conference that drew about 20 journalists, as well as representatives of the Spanish Tourist Office in Oslo and Norwegian executives.

Norwegian is the leading low-cost airline in Scandinavia and the fourth most important one in Europe. Its flights connect the Scandinavian capitals with many European cities. Its passenger traffic rose significantly over the past few years: in 2009, it carried 9.1 million passengers, which meant a NOK 7,000 million business volume, 43% higher than the previous year.

A company listed on the Stock Exchange (2003), Norwegian has about 1,500 employees and a fleet of 43 aircraft (as at March 2009), and it is expected to purchase 58 new Boeing 737-800 planes from 2008 to 2014. As a result of these new purchases, it will have one of the most modern and environment-friendly fleets in Europe.

Norwegian is the main low-cot airline connecting Norway, Sweden, and Denmark with the Costa del Sol, offering 32 direct flights a week from Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Riga, and Warsaw. In 2009, it brought 85,368 passengers to Málaga Airport, who accounted for 30% of all Scandinavian tourists.

Norwegian works with Travellink, one of the leading online outbound travel agencies in the Scandinavian market, whose sales rose by 26% in 2009, vis-à-vis 2008.

At the press conference in Oslo, we showed attending journalists a video of the Costa del Sol with subtitles in Norwegian, which they liked a lot. Mr Pendón spoke to explain that the event was meant to widen the already broad coverage of Costa del Sol-related news in the Norwegian press and to favour the sharing of opinions on different aspects of the tourism industry.

Then, he went over the travel products and services available in our travel destination, mentioning the weather (over 300 sunny days a year), the warmth of local people, booming segments like golf, cultural activities, customs and traditions, flamenco, bullfighting, and food.

Mr Pendón went on to underscore the importance of Scandinavian markets to the Costa del Sol, pointing to the remarkable growth observed over the past few years. “This makes them a priority target for the Tourist Board, as shown by this meeting,” he remarked.

Finally, he reviewed Málaga’s latest infrastructure developments, such as the new airport terminal, whose opening ceremony in March was attended by the King and Queen of Spain. “With this new terminal,” he said, “the airport can welcome 30 million travellers a year.” He also pointed out the growth experienced by the cruise industry, adding that Málaga City has become the departure port of the voyages of major cruise operators. 

The media represented at the press conference included the daily newspaper “Dagsavisen,” the No. 1 travel magazine “Reisenett,” and Golfsiden, specialising in golf.

Author:  Patronato de Turismo de la Costa del Sol