This week, 50 Degrees North celebrates exactly 10 years of operations. It has been an action-packed decade that has seen the company transform from a small but passionate family unit to a large, knowledgeable team of Scandinavians across three offices in three continents – until the arrival of COVID-19 which put an abrupt stop to the company’s growth trajectory.
However, 50 Degrees North has tried to harness the opportunities presented by the crisis. In July this year, the company’s Norwegian entity was awarded a NOK 2.2 million (approx. AUD 330,000) innovation grant from the Norwegian government. The company has matched this in order to create a NOK 4.4 million war chest towards innovating and upgrading their tour operator IT systems, ready for 2021 and the return to busier times.
Although 50 Degrees North is currently operating in a much-reduced capacity, the IT and product teams have kept busy. The company is investing in new Nordic tours and experiences, including a range of day tours and Short Nordic City Breaks for FIT and cruise clients throughout the region. They are also due to have more small group tours for both the midnight sun and the northern lights. Finally, they have a Danish architectural firm designing a 20-room seaside lodge for their 54-acre property above the Arctic Circle in Norway.
“Deep down, I strongly believe that 2020, our 10th anniversary, has given us the break we needed to reset, make us stronger and a lot more efficient. We are extremely motivated and very confident that whenever travel is back on people’s agenda, we will be there to serve travellers’ needs with some very exciting and competitive travel experiences”, says Tietse Stelma, 50 Degrees North’s CEO and co-founder.
For more information on the new range of Short Nordic City Breaks, please visit https://www.fiftydegreesnorth.
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