Written by Georg Sichelschmidt
I work as the Managing Director of Fjord Mountain Route. Every day, we work to develop and sell travel experiences in our region. Our core area is Jotunheimen, but we also work with the surrounding regions — not least the route down towards the Sognefjord, where mountains meet fjords and where some of Norway’s most exciting nature and cultural experiences can be found.
When you work in tourism, it is impossible not to relate to the major questions our industry is facing. Overtourism. Visitors who do not always respect local communities and nature. Local communities that become tired and frustrated. Increased emissions from transport and air travel. Pressure on nature, roads, parking areas and local infrastructure.
At JVB Travel, we are very aware of this. And we are also aware that we are part of the problem.
The simplest answer might be that everyone should just stay at home. Or even better: live in a small apartment in the middle of a big city, use as little space as possible, travel as little as possible and reduce their own footprint as much as they can.
But that is not the solution.
As human beings, we are made to move. We need to get out, experience new places, meet other people and see the world from new perspectives. Some people have a stronger need for this than others, but the desire to travel is part of being human.
That is why I believe those of us working in tourism have a great responsibility. We should not simply sell more trips. We must work to guide tourism in a direction that makes it possible to travel without becoming a bigger part of the problem.
This is something I personally care deeply about. And it is something we work with every day at Fjord Mountain Route.
Fjord og Fjellruta is a concrete example of how tourism can help create solutions.
When we try to develop experiences in the area between Vang, Årdal, Lærdal and Aurland based on public transport, we quickly face a challenge: the current bus services are primarily designed around the needs of local residents, school transport and ordinary transport patterns.
That is perfectly natural. But for visiting guests, it does not always work.
Many guests want to head out on a hike or activity after breakfast and return again in the afternoon. They want to walk a stage of the King’s Road, visit Utladalen, see Vettisfossen, cycle along Tunnelvegen, travel across Aurlandsfjellet or experience Flåm and Gudvangen without depending on a car.
When public transport does not fit these experiences, the result is often that guests arrive by private car. Or that tourism businesses have to organise their own transport solutions, private shuttles and special transfers. This can be expensive, inefficient and less environmentally friendly.
If we want more visitors in the region — and I believe there is still room for more guests, if we do it in the right way — the solution cannot be that everyone arrives by private car.
That would mean too many cars. Full parking areas. Too much pressure on the roads. Too much traffic in places that were never built for it.
We cannot simply build larger parking areas and wider roads so that more and more people can visit us by car. In fact, I believe the future of tourism must be about the opposite: fewer cars, smarter transport and better public transport solutions.
Then we can actually welcome more visitors — without them taking up as much space, without putting the same pressure on local communities, and with lower emissions.
With Fjord og Fjellruta, we have brought together tourism businesses in Årdal, Vang, Lærdal and Aurland around one shared solution.
Several tourism businesses have joined forces to finance a route that helps solve a very specific problem: How do we get guests out to the experiences — and back again — without everyone having to use their own car?
We have also teamed up with Vy Buss, which we are very pleased about. This means that Fjord og Fjellruta will not just be a local stand-alone route, but part of a larger public transport network.
This means you can travel by bus e.g. from Oslo, Bergen or Sogndal and continue into the region. You can get all the way to the start of a hike in Utladalen, a bike ride along Tunnelvegen, a stage of the King’s Road or onwards towards Aurland, Flåm and Gudvangen.
This connection is exactly what matters. If public transport is to become a real alternative for visitors, it must be possible to plan the whole journey — not just one small part of it.
Fjord og Fjellruta will make it easier to travel through the fjord and mountain landscape without a car. In addition, we make it possible to bring your bike, dog and luggage. We also offer luggage transport where it fits into the travel programme.
This makes the route relevant for hikers, cyclists, round-trip travellers, cabin guests and others who want to experience the region in a more flexible and sustainable way.
We are starting with the main season in July and August. That is an important first step.
But our ambition does not stop there.
In the long term, we want to extend the season. First and foremost, this means strengthening the summer season from June to September. It is precisely in the shoulder seasons that there is great potential for more balanced tourism.
We also see exciting opportunities outside the summer season. Winter, spring and autumn have a lot to offer in this region. But if we are to develop these periods, transport has to work.
Experiences alone are not enough. Guests must also be able to get there.
I must admit that I am a little proud that we have managed to make this happen.
Not alone, but together with many other tourism businesses that have shown a willingness to cooperate and invest in a shared solution. It is not always easy to bring together many stakeholders across municipalities, destinations and county borders. But in this case, we have managed to unite around a shared need and a shared idea.
What makes Fjord og Fjellruta especially important to me is that the route is based on the needs of the tourism industry — but benefits far more than tourism alone.
It benefits guests, who get an easier way to travel.
It benefits tourism businesses, which gain better access to the experiences they want to offer.
It benefits local residents, who get a better transport service.
And it benefits the environment, because more people can choose to leave the car behind.
This is how I believe tourism should develop.
We should not simply enter a local community and make use of the nature, roads, parking areas and often volunteer-built infrastructure that already exists. We also need to contribute something in return.
Fjord og Fjellruta is an example of exactly that: tourism businesses joining forces to help create a better public transport solution in the region.
It is not the full solution to all the challenges tourism is facing. But it is a concrete step in the right direction.
Fjord og Fjellruta SA is a cooperative owned by tourism businesses from the municipalities of Vang, Årdal, Lærdal and Aurland. The cooperative has been established to ensure that the development of the bus route is based on the needs of the tourism industry, while also benefiting visitors, local communities and the wider region.
The participating businesses have contributed financially to the start-up of the route. In addition, Fjord og Fjellruta SA has applied for public funding from the municipalities of Vang, Årdal and Lærdal, as well as from the relevant county authorities.
Fjord og Fjellruta SA was founded in May 2026 and is currently running its first ever season together with Vy Buss and JVB Tur.
Organisation number: TBA
Contact: Georg Sichelschmidt
Chairman of the Board, Fjord og Fjellruta SA