Tourism dips, hotels up; record car sales

The Nordland / Lofoten news of the last 48 hours: the county of Nordland recorded a 2% drop in tourist attendance in August, while hotel revenue in the county rose 7% over the same period. On the economy side, September was marked by record new car sales. Locally, a mountain rescue and a cultural attendance record round off these two days.

Nordland / Lofoten news: tourism down, hotels up

Nordland county recorded an overall 2% drop in tourist attendance in August compared to the previous year (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). The decline was sharper among Norwegian tourists, at minus 5%. Campgrounds in particular are pulling these figures down.

CEO Trond Øverås, of NordNorsk Reiseliv, points to unfavourable summer weather in Nordland as the likely main reason for campers abandoning their stays (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). Despite this overall decline, the county's hotels had a good month: their revenue rose 7% in August.

Regional economy: record car sales and compromised harvests

The car market had a record month of September, according to Avisa Nordland. A sector player sums it up: «En veldig, veldig bra måned», a very, very good month (Avisa Nordland, 1 October).

In a very different register, a potato grower in Nordland is suffering the consequences of a very wet summer. «Det er jo krise. Det er blålys. Det er helt vilt», he says, describing a critical situation for his farm (Avisa Nordland, 2 October).

On the local institutional side, an economic development official from a municipality was dismissed and has decided to take the case to court against the municipality concerned (Avisa Nordland, 2 October). In Lofoten, Monica has announced the closure of her business while specifying that she will continue her work as a lawyer (Lofotposten, 2 October).

Infrastructure, culture and rescue in Lofoten

The construction of the new airport is approaching an important solution, NRK Nordland / Lofoten reports. A key decision is expected soon on this regional infrastructure file.

In Rana, the Sagbakken site recorded a spectator record (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). On the sporting side, Rana pulled off a surprise against Glimt before the latter reacted strongly (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). This match took place in a context where several Glimt players were absent during a national team defeat (Avisa Nordland, 1 October).

In Lofoten, a dog named Pondus was rescued after spending three days in a ten-metre-deep crevasse (Lofotposten, 1 October). The rescue mobilised teams on site.

📌 Local briefs

A young man in his late teens died in a motorcycle accident on Thursday evening on fylkesvei 810, west of Utskarpen, in Rana. He was alone on the vehicle and next of kin have been notified (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

One person died on Wednesday during a dive on a Second World War wreck in Narvik. Six foreign divers were taking part in this recreational outing (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

Sources: NRK Nordland / Lofoten, Avisa Nordland, Lofotposten, The Local Norway — Period: 01 October 2026 and 02 October 2026