“I Wouldn’t Come Here,” Says Oslo in its Viral Tourism Campaign

Usually, when you see a tourism campaign for a place, they are all ready to welcome tourists with open arms, presenting them with a varied range of glorified features, vibrant images of people of all age groups having the time of their lives and so on. Basically, nothing short of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali aesthetic. Not Oslo, though! Because the Norwegian capital starts its new tourism campaign by a person claiming “I wouldn’t come here, to be honest” and begs the question: “is it even a city?”. Confused? We were, too, until we watched the commercial.

All About Oslo's New Campaign

The ad features Halfdan, a 31-year-old Oslo resident, who, throughout the video, complains that he has had it with his hometown. Why? Well, because the city has “everything available” a little too easily, offering no “exclusiveness”. In a sarcastic tone, Halfdan goes on to narrate how the city has “disgusting(ly)” accessible water bodies in the middle of the town, how it feels “like a village” with even prominent figures like the PM and the King seen at a corner, and how the place is so “walkable” that you can cover the distance between the two sides of the town in 30 minutes. He even takes a jab at famous cities like New York, Istanbul, and Paris, challenging if anyone can find the same there.

The narrator further facetiously lists down the merits of the city by showcasing how it has too readily available tables at the best restaurants and how its museums are free from overcrowding, claiming that “if you don’t have to stand in line for a couple of hours, is it even worth visiting?” Drawing comparisons with a “good relationship”, Halfdan playfully complains the city “is not supposed to be easy” and should be a “little hard to get”, presenting an overall commercial for Oslo which is different from anything the public has seen so far in the tourism campaigns, but highlights the merits of the place just as same.

Having gathered more than a million views across all social media platforms, the ad, posted by Visit Oslo, has the internet laughing out loud, garnering comments like “I think this is the best tourism commercial I’ve ever seen, and yes, it makes me want to visit Oslo.” Another comment said, “Literally the best commercial ever. I try not to watch it more than 5 times per day. I mean, is it even a commercial?”.

Overall, the ad, served with a pinch of humour, presents Oslo as a great travel spot and proves that tourism, too, can be fun!