Editorial
When there are too many tourists for too little gain
May 27, 2025 A pilgrimage from Oslo to Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral became a reminder of the actual costs of tourism – to nature, hosts and local societies. As tourism continues to grow, we have to ask ourselves: What does it mean to be a good guest?
Danish GreenKayak promotes sustainable tourism
May 27, 2025 Rent a kayak and pick litter out of Copenhagen’s harbour. That was the simple idea Tobias Weber-Andersen had while out running one day in 2017. Nine years later, GreenKayak is a tourism magnet with kayaks in four Nordic countries, plus Germany and Japan.
Tourism, yes please – but on the locals’ terms
May 27, 2025 Tourism is coming in for increased criticism, especially in Spain, but also in other popular destinations like Amsterdam, Berlin and Venice. Unease about the number of tourists also exists in some places in the Nordics, and many are working on strategies for more sustainable tourism.
15,000 volunteers queuing up to help Faroese nature
May 27, 2025 When the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands announced in 2019 that he would close the country for an entire weekend to allow for the restoration of environmental damage, more than 3,000 volunteers from around the world said they wanted to help. Since then, the Faroes have repeated the success every year. 15,000 applied for this year’s 80 spaces.
Startups and Moomin beat Lenin in the industrial city of Tampere
May 27, 2025 Tampere – Finland's Manchester – was a thriving industrial city. Now it is fighting unemployment and is investing in tourism and startups. But the industrial heritage lives on, as seen at the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas. Yet most popular of all is perhaps the Moomin Museum.
Iceland: Sustainability no longer a choice but a necessity
May 27, 2025 Iceland is seen as an environmentally friendly country in many ways, but sustainability is still a relatively new concept – even within the tourism industry. Interest is now growing, especially as customers increasingly demand responsible choices.
The price of a Nordic tourist boom
May 27, 2025 Tourism in the Nordic region has grown a lot over the past decades. It creates jobs and money in the state coffers. But mass tourism comes at a price. And local communities and researchers are sounding the alarm: Sustainable tourism must be about more than the climate and money.
News
Swedish strip club lost the first round
May 27, 2025 The ban on night work for employees at the strip club still applies, despite the fact that they created a trade union that entered into a collective agreement with the club’s owner, Flirt Fashion AB, for an exemption from the Working Hours Act.
From cable factory worker to Norway’s LO President
May 27, 2025 Kine Asper Vistnes is moving from her position as deputy leader of Norway’s United Federation of Trade Unions to becoming the President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions – one of Norway’s most powerful positions. With LO’s support, she will fight for a red-green election victory this autumn.
Editorial
When language and regulations create obstacles in the Nordics
Apr 30, 2025 Nordic freedom of movement is an ideal we like to highlight. Nevertheless, commuters and businesses face practical obstacles every day. Now, new measures are being implemented to remove them, while the Øresund Bridge celebrates 25 years as a symbol of one common region between two countries.
Swedish Sofia is a nurse in Norway – wants simplified rules
Apr 30, 2025 Swedish Sofia Krogh is happy in her job in Indre Østfold municipality in Norway. The pay and pension scheme are good, and her colleagues are nice. Nevertheless, the nurse has considered leaving her job in her neighbouring country several times. The paperwork is demotivating.
Sounding the alarm for Nordic languages
Apr 30, 2025 Expectations are high for the updated declaration on a Nordic language policy which is now being implemented. New technology and digitalisation are included as tools to strengthen the smaller languages and interest in language. But will young people rather use English?
The Øresund Bridge: 25 years in a region that creates dynamics
Apr 30, 2025 The Nordic region’s largest labour market this year celebrates 25 years of a fixed link between two countries, in a border region without its own legislation. Instead, two countries must coordinate and cooperate based on their respective laws and regulations.
News
New Danish legislation to tackle social dumping on construction sites
Apr 30, 2025 Bigger fines and immediate shutdowns of construction sites. These are tools that the Danish parliament has granted the Danish Working Environment Authority to fight social dumping in the construction sector, which employs a rising number of immigrant workers who sometimes put their own lives at risk.