Winter roads in Northern Norway can be challenging, particularly for visitors unfamiliar with snow, ice, darkness and rapidly changing weather conditions. Arctic Norway Tourist Board is now launching a new campaign to help international visitors better prepare for driving during winter.
The campaign aims to reach visitors both before their trip and during their stay in Northern Norway. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the challenges of winter driving and provide simple, practical advice to help people stay safe on the roads.
“Are you ready to drive here?” is the question greeting visitors on a new leaflet, illustrated with a dark, snow-covered winter road. The material is being distributed to car hire companies and other locations frequented by travellers across Northern Norway. Visitors are invited to test their knowledge through eleven questions about winter driving before being encouraged to watch a short film offering practical road safety advice.
Travellers will also encounter the message as soon as they arrive at the airport. While waiting to collect their luggage, they will see short films showing winter roads, accompanied by the question: “Are you ready for this?”
– We warmly welcome all visitors to Northern Norway, but our winter roads demand respect. Many of those who visit us have little experience of snow, ice, darkness and rapidly changing weather conditions. That’s why we want to provide clear, practical advice to help them make informed decisions, both before getting behind the wheel and while driving on our winter roads, says Trond Øverås, CEO of Arctic Norway Tourist Board.
Clear messages throughout the journey
The campaign continues to reach visitors during their stay. Through targeted social media videos, travellers receive short, practical reminders of how to stay safe on winter roads.
One of the messages is “Come for the green light, not the blue”, playing on the contrast between the Northern Lights and the flashing blue lights of police vehicles.
With input from organisations including the Norwegian Council for Road Safety (Trygg Trafikk) and the police, Arctic Norway has focused on some of the most important advice: keep a safe distance from other vehicles, be aware of braking distances, keep to the right on narrow roads, stop only in safe places and allow other road users to pass.
A shared responsibility for safer winter roads
This year’s campaign has also been reviewed with representatives from the car hire industry. Several organisations are working to help international visitors better prepare for Norwegian winter conditions. Visit Norway provides winter driving information through its own channels, including content tailored to Asian markets, while car hire companies and destination organisations inform their customers about the conditions they may encounter.
Hertz, for example, highlights the seriousness of winter driving with its message “Winter driving is no joke”. These initiatives form part of a wider effort to improve winter road safety in Northern Norway, with the tourism industry, car hire companies and road safety organisations all contributing in different ways.
The goal is simple: to ensure that visitors are better prepared, understand the conditions they may encounter and make safe decisions on winter roads. This will help improve safety for both visitors and those who live and travel in Northern Norway.
