Norrøna, the family-owned and operated Norwegian outdoor brand that is now the majority shareholder of another Norwegian company, Hvitserk, has announced the establishment of a new travel company, Norrøna Hvitserk Adventure. The tour operator offers year-round tailor-made excursions throughout Norway on foot, on skis or in a kayak, providing unique, captivating and exciting adventures through nature. This comes just two months after Arc’teryx – the Vancouver-based sports clothing brand controlled by China’s Anta Group – announced the launch of “Trips,” a program of adventure trips in North America and Europe starting this summer. Arc’teryx and Norrøna are not the first outdoor companies to enter the travel market. The Swiss brand Mammut is already on the market with its Alpine School, and the American bicycle manufacturer Trek founded its own travel company in 2002. The growing interest in travel experiences offered directly by outdoor gear companies seems to be growing, and the market is obviously offering some previously untapped opportunities. The question is how the travel market will react to this and what will happen in terms of sponsorship or partnership opportunities for travel operators, as the latter now see themselves in direct competition with their potential partners. We will continue to observe this trend.
