It was a tough summer for the Danish hotel industry, which recorded 1.4 million fewer overnight stays this summer (June, July, and August) compared to last year, according to the Scandinavian travel industry publication Take Off. August was particularly slow, with numbers down 6.4 percent from 2008. Both foreign and domestic tourism suffered a substantial decline, with vacation home rentals, holiday parks, and hostels the worst off (a 20 percent decline in August).
On the airline front, passenger numbers for the SAS Group were down nearly 15 percent last month compared with September 2008. The Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian governments jointly own 50 percent of SAS shares, with private shareholders owning the rest.
Similarly, Finland's national carrier Finnair reported a drop of almost 11 percent in passengers for the same time period.
08 October 2009
Danish musician-in-residence program launched in Austin, Texas
The Austin Business Journal reports:
This week, a small house in Travis Heights turned into The House of Songs — a Denmark artist-in-residency program — where Scandinavian artists can come to work on their craft while experiencing the Austin music scene.
Funded by the Danish music society, the House of Songs is a one-year program for singer-songwriters tucked away in a South Austin residence.
The mini retreat gives the Scandinavian musicians an opportunity to write music, collaborate with American musicians and play performances in Austin, said Troy Campbell, an Austin-based music and film producer. Campbell, who will be directing The House of Songs program, participated in a similar program called the Island of Songs, which took place in the Danish Island of Samsoe.
Read the rest of this article at the Austin Business Journal
There's something musical from the state of Denmark
This week, a small house in Travis Heights turned into The House of Songs — a Denmark artist-in-residency program — where Scandinavian artists can come to work on their craft while experiencing the Austin music scene.
Funded by the Danish music society, the House of Songs is a one-year program for singer-songwriters tucked away in a South Austin residence.
The mini retreat gives the Scandinavian musicians an opportunity to write music, collaborate with American musicians and play performances in Austin, said Troy Campbell, an Austin-based music and film producer. Campbell, who will be directing The House of Songs program, participated in a similar program called the Island of Songs, which took place in the Danish Island of Samsoe.
Read the rest of this article at the Austin Business Journal
Sold-out Iceland Airwaves Music Festival takes place next week
Iceland's biggest music festival, Iceland Airwaves, kicks off next Wednesday at various venues in downtown Reykjavik. One of the biggest events on the Icelandic calendar, the festival runs for five days, October 14-18, 2009.
The lineup includes approximately 200 bands, solo performers, and DJs, with local talent making up roughly two-thirds of the program. An "off venue" program of side events includes in-store shows (often with surprise appearances by major festival performers) and parties throughout the city.
The festival started in 1999 as a way for foreign record executives to discover Icelandic talent and has since grown into a popular annual event that draws thousands of artists, music industry professionals, and festival-goers from throughout Iceland and abroad. Icelandic artists such as Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, Jagúar, Quarashi, Leaves, and Trabant will perform alongside international artists like Suede, The Flaming Lips, The Hives, and Fatboy Slim.
This year's Iceland Airwaves festival is already sold out. To stay informed about next year's festival, subscribe to the e-newsletter on the festival website, or follow Iceland Airwaves on Twitter or Facebook. The festival takes place each year during the third week of October. For overseas visitors, festival sponsor Icelandair offers package deals that include flights and festival admission.
The lineup includes approximately 200 bands, solo performers, and DJs, with local talent making up roughly two-thirds of the program. An "off venue" program of side events includes in-store shows (often with surprise appearances by major festival performers) and parties throughout the city.
The festival started in 1999 as a way for foreign record executives to discover Icelandic talent and has since grown into a popular annual event that draws thousands of artists, music industry professionals, and festival-goers from throughout Iceland and abroad. Icelandic artists such as Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, Jagúar, Quarashi, Leaves, and Trabant will perform alongside international artists like Suede, The Flaming Lips, The Hives, and Fatboy Slim.
This year's Iceland Airwaves festival is already sold out. To stay informed about next year's festival, subscribe to the e-newsletter on the festival website, or follow Iceland Airwaves on Twitter or Facebook. The festival takes place each year during the third week of October. For overseas visitors, festival sponsor Icelandair offers package deals that include flights and festival admission.
07 October 2009
Swedish King and Queen to attend 2010 Olympics
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will attend the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, according to a spokesperson at the Swedish Embassy in Ottawa. The royal couple is expected to be in British Columbia for a large portion of the Games, which will take place February 12-28, 2010.
The Games are close to the heart of the King and Queen, who met at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where Silvia was a host and interpreter. They married four years later.
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia are the first foreign heads of state to confirm their attendance at the Olympics, though The Vancouver Sun reports that as many as 10 royals and 25 other heads of state are expected to attend, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whose countries will host the next two sets of Olympics (London in 2012 and Sochi, Russia, in 2014).
The Games are close to the heart of the King and Queen, who met at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where Silvia was a host and interpreter. They married four years later.
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia are the first foreign heads of state to confirm their attendance at the Olympics, though The Vancouver Sun reports that as many as 10 royals and 25 other heads of state are expected to attend, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whose countries will host the next two sets of Olympics (London in 2012 and Sochi, Russia, in 2014).
06 October 2009
Norway has world's best quality of life, says UN
Norway has the best quality of life in the world, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which unveiled its annual Human Development Index (HDI) yesterday. The report ranks countries according to various health, education, and standard-of-living indicators, highlighting the global discrepancies in overall quality of life.
The 2009 HDI report ranked 182 countries. All five of the Nordic countries ranked in the top 16. Iceland was ranked 3rd (though based on statistics from 2007, before the country's economic troubles), Sweden 7th, Finland 12th, and Denmark 16th. The United States came in 13th. In last place was the African nation of Niger.
"A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50 years, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway," the UNDP stated. "Furthermore, the differences in per capita income are huge. For every dollar earned per person in Niger, US$85 are earned in Norway."
The Nordic countries ranked at the very top of the list for the gender empowerment measure (GEM), a subset of criteria measuring women's participation in economic and political life. Indicators include the percentage of female legislators, senior managers and officials, and professional and technical workers, together with the income disparity between genders. In GEM, Sweden ranked 1st, Norway 2nd, Finland 3rd, Denmark 4th, and Iceland 8th.
Click here for the complete HDI rankings and links to individual country fact sheets
The 2009 HDI report ranked 182 countries. All five of the Nordic countries ranked in the top 16. Iceland was ranked 3rd (though based on statistics from 2007, before the country's economic troubles), Sweden 7th, Finland 12th, and Denmark 16th. The United States came in 13th. In last place was the African nation of Niger.
"A child born in Niger can expect to live to just over 50 years, which is 30 years less than a child born in Norway," the UNDP stated. "Furthermore, the differences in per capita income are huge. For every dollar earned per person in Niger, US$85 are earned in Norway."
The Nordic countries ranked at the very top of the list for the gender empowerment measure (GEM), a subset of criteria measuring women's participation in economic and political life. Indicators include the percentage of female legislators, senior managers and officials, and professional and technical workers, together with the income disparity between genders. In GEM, Sweden ranked 1st, Norway 2nd, Finland 3rd, Denmark 4th, and Iceland 8th.
Click here for the complete HDI rankings and links to individual country fact sheets
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