Norway Hospitality Industry Inundated With 'Frozen' Tourists

A big boost in tourism thanks to a popular movie seems like it'd be a great thing for any hospitality industry, but Norway's still seeing a huge influx of visitors inspired by the Disney movie Frozen, and some residents are ready to let it go.

According to The Local, Frozen came out in 2013 and generated a huge spike in tourism in Norway, thanks to Disney fans looking to live like Queen Elsa and Princess Anna and Olaf the talking snowman. There's a sequel coming, too, but some people say Norway already has all the tourists it wants.

"We in the tour business have more than enough to do already, all year round. It is debatable whether we need more tourists," said Gunnar Skjeseth, chief executive of the Lofoten Explorer luxury cruise ship, which is currently working with the production of a big Hollywood movie starring Matt Damon. Skjeseth's company might not need more tourists, but if that film is successful, more tourists will probably show up anyway.  

The mayor of the nearby town of Flakstad reportedly said the Frozen-related tourism increase was a challenge, and the town is already having problems with waste disposal, crowding, and erosion of walking paths thanks in part to the larger numbers of tourists.

"In Flakstad we have for example become extremely unbalanced when it comes to tourism this year, and need to take many measures before next year," he said.