“I wouldn’t come here, to be honest.”

That’s the opening line to a tourism ad that debuted (July 08, 2024) from Oslo’s official marketing agency, VisitOslo. The commercial follows a begrudging native Oslovian around the city as he questions whether Oslo is “even a city,” while lamenting the area’s walkability and beach access, and complaining about public amenities as he sullenly gazes out at beautiful landscapes. 

The ad has quickly drawn traction on the internet for its dry humor and reverse psychology, which flips the script on the overproduced, and, frankly, corny approach that’s typical for American tourism spots. But, in a busy travel season, chock-full of travel influencing and endless social media vacation photos, what’s most refreshing about the new ad is its rejection of an Instagrammable travel experience in favor of a more authentic one.

Oslo’s tourism ad takes an understated approach to its visuals. It appears to be shot on a handheld camera, and while the locations are aesthetically pleasing, it’s not trying to hit you over the head with a series of Oslo’s most post-worthy tourist attractions. Some shots are just pretty streets or a view of the harbor. Taken together, the videography and scenery convey a city that’s cultured and interesting, yet serene.

That sense of simple pleasure is, ironically, amplified by the narrator’s insistence on pointing out supposed “downsides” to the town: While sitting in a beautiful restaurant, he describes Oslo as “a village”; in a dig at New York and Paris, he points out that it only takes 30 minutes to walk across town; and while standing in front of Edvard Munch’s The Scream, he notes that “It’s not exactly the Mona Lisa.” The ad positions Oslo as a place where embracing simple pleasures can be, well, simple—and where long lines aren’t the barometer for beauty. “Everything is just so available, you know?” our narrator grumbles. “There’s no exclusiveness.”

The campaign comes at a time when other major European cities are hiking up fees for tourists, or even actively discouraging them from visiting. The trend, dubbed “tourismphobia,” stems from the myriad issues that accompany annual overcrowding when hordes of visitors flock to local hot spots. In some cities, tourists have even been caught trespassing in private homes and on balconies to take photos. Residents in places such as the Canary Islands and Binibeca, on Spain’s Menorca island, have been protesting en masse, while cities in Italy, France, and Portugal have instituted additional monetary fees or fines for tourists.  

Oslo, it seems, is still interested in welcoming visitors this summer—but it has a particular kind of tourist in mind. In a podcast episode released in November, 2023, VisitOslo’s director of marketing, Anne-Signe Fagereng, explained that advertising could play a major role in attracting responsible tourists, especially those who will respect local culture and uphold Oslo’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.

“We try to make it really easy to make sustainable choices, not by saying, ‘You should do this,’ [but by] just giving them the greener or the more sustainable options,” Fagereng said. “It is better in Oslo to travel by public transport, for example, so that’s what we’re encouraging [tourists] to do; and that goes for where they shop, how they eat, and what kind of activities they do while they’re in Oslo.”

Based on the overwhelmingly positive reaction to VisitOslo’s latest tourism ad, this more down-to-earth marketing strategy is resonating with travelers who want to experience new places as a local resident might—though maybe with a more positive outlook than the grumbling Oslovian narrator.