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How the weak Norwegian krone will affect travel to and from Norway

Norway's krone has not strengthened despite several factors which should work in its favour. The currency's struggles will affect travel to and from Norway.

Pictured is a bundle of Norwegian kroner,
Norway's weak krone is likely to have consequences for travel this summer. Pictured is a bundle of Norwegian kroner. Pictured is a bundle of Norwegian kroner. Photo: welcomia GettyImages.

Norway’s weak krone continues to struggle despite a recent rally in oil prices and another interest rate hike at the end of 2023.

Both factors impact the Norwegian krone’s strength. Oil and gas make up a large proportion of Norway’s economy, and high interest rates make the Norwegian krone more attractive to investors.

It’s also unlikely the currency will recover to anywhere near previous levels anytime soon, according to experts.

“We cannot promise that the krone exchange rate will strengthen before the summer,” chief economist Harald Magnus Andreassen at Sparebank 1 Markets told broadcaster TV 2 recently.

Kjersti Haugland, chief economist at DNB Markets, told business news outlet E24 that the weaker krone was the new normal for the currency. She said that while it was much stronger ten years ago, it was due to a strong economy, stable interest rate and booming oil trade.

“Now it is no longer like that. We, therefore, do not believe that the current rate is completely wrong,” she said.

The krone has weakened against almost all major currencies, meaning that wherever one travels, it will likely be more expensive to travel abroad than before.

At the time of writing, one euro was trading for 11.64 kroner, a pound was equivalent to 13.63 kroner, and a dollar cost 10.92 kroner.

Dane Cekov, senior economist and currency strategist at Nordea Bank, told TV 2 there could be a significant fluctuation.

“I think you have to be prepared for major fluctuations towards the summer, and not least during the summer holidays themselves,” he said.

The currency strategist said that travellers should do their best to round up, and then they may be pleasantly surprised with the exchange rate they receive.

For those travelling in the eurozone, he recommended rounding up to 12 kroner for one euro.

Cekov said the Balkan peninsula could be an attractive destination for those who want their money to go further this summer. This is because, despite some countries in the region using euros, prices were lower than other eurozone countries.

The currency strategist also suggested Turkey, although the country had been subject to hyperinflation in recent years.

When travelling to Norway, travellers can expect a reasonable exchange rate. This means the country will be cheaper than it would have been if the krone had remained strong.

For example, if a hotel room costs 1,000 kroner per night and you are paying in euros, the cost is around 85 euros per night. Meanwhile, three years ago, a hotel room costing 1,000 kroner would’ve been equivalent to around 100 euros.

This hotel room would have been equivalent to 86 pounds and 120 dollars in 2021, compared to 91 dollars or 73 pounds today.

Another example would be a meal in a restaurant. A dish costing 250 kroner would be equivalent to 21 euros today but was equivalent to 25 euros three years ago.

At today’s exchange rate, the same meal would cost around 18 pounds, compared to 21 pounds in 2021. Similarly, the same dish would have cost 29 dollars three years ago but closer to 23 dollars today.

You can use tools online like historical currency calculators and estimate how much cheaper a trip to Norway has become over time. 

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ECONOMY

What lower inflation in Norway means for you 

Inflation in Norway continues to slow. However, the cost of living in the country isn’t slowing as quickly as economists expected. Here’s what that means to you. 

What lower inflation in Norway means for you 

Inflation is slowing 

Norway’s Consumer Price Index, CPI, which measures changes in prices for household goods and services, has slowed yet again. 

Between April last year and the same month this year, prices in Norway rose by 3.6 percent. It marks the third time that price increases have been below four percent since the start of 2022. 

The figures, released by Norway’s national data agency Statistics Norway, mark the fourth month in a row where the 12 monthly inflation figure has been lower than the yearly figure from the month before. This means prices are rising less rapidly than before. 

“Price growth decreased for the fourth month in a row in April. Prices are still higher than they were at the same time last year for most goods and services, but they are generally rising more slowly than before,” Espen Kristiansen at Statistics Norway said. 

Food remains one of the biggest contributors to inflation 

The price of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 3.3 percent from March to April, according to Statistics Norway. 

Chocolate, soft drinks, coffee, and citrus foods saw the biggest price increases, which the national data agency called “unusual.” 

What wasn’t unusual, however, was the cost of food rising following Easter, when many supermarkets ran offers to compete for customers. 

“The rise must be seen in the context of the fact that large offer campaigns in connection with Easter dampened prices in March,” Kristiansen said. 

The figures for April show that food prices in Norway have increased by 6.8 percent compared to a year ago. 

The rising cost of food and drink in Norway could potentially outgrow wages this year, even if expected pay bumps will outpace forecasted inflation overall. 

Economists expected inflation to fall more 

Inflation hasn’t eased as much as some experts were expecting. Core inflation, which excludes energy prices and taxes, was measured at 4.4 percent year on year in April. This is above what economists surveyed by the newswire Reuters expected. 

Norges Bank, the country’s central bank, raised the policy rate to a 16-year high of 4.5 percent in December. The bank has said that inflation should generally be around two percent, so it has used interest rates to curb price increases. 

As inflation isn’t falling much quicker than expected, economists predict that the central bank may wait until December before slashing rates – which for consumers means that loan and mortgage repayments will remain high for the foreseeable future. 

“The fall in inflation has not been much greater than Norges Bank has thought. This, therefore, indicates that an interest rate cut may come in December instead of September,” Kjersti Haugland, chief economist at DNB Markets, told public broadcaster NRK

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