The regulations in this investigation and it's proposed changes do not meet the needs of tourism transport and are already detrimental to the tourism industry. Since tours and activities are key drivers for international and domestic travel, it would be prudent for the committee to remove the drosjeløyve requirement for travel and tourism companies and instead to create a løyve specific for travel industry.
Tourism in Norway has operated successfully for many years without these requirements. The above mentioned problems did not exist prior to the new kjøreseddel requirements for the drosjeløyve coming into effect. Now these requirements are coming into effect and companies are reducing hiring and capacity as much as 80%. Guides with years of experience in Norway, returning season after season, are leaving Norway for other tourism positions where they can continue to do the same job, but without a discriminatory process. This means the experienced industry professionals are leaving Norway and large holes in the labour market are left.
The travel industry has unique needs that are different from other transportation sectors like taxis. Some of these needs are:
1. Human resource based. Outlined below is why the employees would not be able to obtain their kjøreseddel as the rules currently exist. It's important to remember that travel and tourism employees are a very different employee profile to taxi or bus drivers.
- guides are typically foreigners as the employee profile for travel industry is people driven by curiuosity and adventure. Tourism employees typically do not work in their home countries.
- The employees are intentionally seeking short term and seasonal contracts. It is common that seasonal employees will have 3 destinations that travel between at different points of the year to work.
- These employees do not have bank id.
- These employees do not speak Norwegian, they cannot complete the taxi theory and practical examinations
- These employees are highly skilled at their craft and will simply go to another country to continue doing the job they are already doing.
- These employees do not have the time to commit to getting the kjøreseddel for yrkksjåforer as it currently stands. This is a 4 month process and it is unreasonable for them to survive in Norway without salary while they wait.
- The taxi tests are irrelevant to their jobs and the employees aren't motivated to become taxi drivers.
2. The convoluted process for getting the kjøreseddel adds exceptional lengths to processing time and because it is across multiple different branches of government results in delays, loss of documents and financial implications.
3. Irrelevancy of the drosjeløyve to tourism. Tourism is a professional industry and many cities, such as Tromsø rely on tourism to survive. Tourism should have it's own løyve system that supports sustainable and safe tourism practices but is also sensical and logical to the industry and those businesses that operate within tourism/travel.
4. Education component of the drosjeløyve is not especially relevant to the tourism industry and should not be a requirement.
Here are the main implications to our business so far:
1. No human resources. Despite advertising for 1 year, we have not received an applicant who has a kjøreseddel for yrkkssjåforer or is already eligable to apply. No matter how high the salary, or how much we spend on advertising and HR consultants, there are no results.
Before the introduction of the drosjeløyve our guiding team was with 6 guides for van tours. Since the introduction of the drosjeløyve for tourism companies we only have 1 guide that can drive the guests. We are now canceling 5 out of 6 tours and are completely reliant on one employee.
2. Mass cancellations is bad for Norway's international perception. Visit Norway and Innovation Norway have done an exceptional job at marketing Norway as a small group and sustainable destination. Norway is currently perceived as the premier destination for nature-based northern lights tours and experiences. The introduction of the drosjeløyve impacts the possibility of small groups. With the expansion of international airports in the north, these small-group tours are more and more desirable. Pre-season bookings are up nearly 300% but with the lack of guides with kjøreseddels, companies will need to cancel guests and lay-off employees. The travelers are coming and they will be met with cancellations from law-abiding companies. This forces travellers to chose illegal or unsafe options, ultimately resulting Norway's brand being damaged and another destination will become more appealing.
2. Possible insolvency. We are canceling 96 tours a month in our high season. Vardekvalitet has scored our tours the highest in Norway, as has TripAdvisor and Travelife. If this is not solved by November 1st we will be forced to close down at the end of the financial year. Tromsø will lose another well established, law abiding, and professional company.
3. Industry collapse. There are 1700+ guiding registered companies in norway and this impacts the vast majority of them. The drosjeløyve (though irrelevant) forces guides to have a kjøreseddel they can't obtain. This prevents the industry from thriving. It prevents successful small group eco tour companies from increasing there very desired tours. Ultimately we are all being forced to chose between
b) operating illegally
c) no longer offering our profitable and highly desired small group tours and instead adding more big buses to the industry.
It's important to remember that the increase in taxi revenue will be directly impacted by the collapse of tourism. If tourism collapses the taxi industry will be immensely and inextricably impacted.
Going forward, tourism needs it's own relevant løyve and kjøreseddels. For an immediate solution, the industry desperately needs an exemption to the taxi theory and practical examinations for the kjøreseddel.
Creating an exemption to the taxi license requirement for guides that work exclusively for tour operators will allow the continuation of tour operators successful and profitable businesses, allow tour operators to continue to offer tours that fit the vision that Innovation Norway has for Norway and to allow talented and skilled guides to continue their seasonal employment here, season after season.
Tourism in Norway has operated successfully for many years without these requirements. The above mentioned problems did not exist prior to the new kjøreseddel requirements for the drosjeløyve coming into effect. Now these requirements are coming into effect and companies are reducing hiring and capacity as much as 80%. Guides with years of experience in Norway, returning season after season, are leaving Norway for other tourism positions where they can continue to do the same job, but without a discriminatory process. This means the experienced industry professionals are leaving Norway and large holes in the labour market are left.
The travel industry has unique needs that are different from other transportation sectors like taxis. Some of these needs are:
1. Human resource based. Outlined below is why the employees would not be able to obtain their kjøreseddel as the rules currently exist. It's important to remember that travel and tourism employees are a very different employee profile to taxi or bus drivers.
- guides are typically foreigners as the employee profile for travel industry is people driven by curiuosity and adventure. Tourism employees typically do not work in their home countries.
- The employees are intentionally seeking short term and seasonal contracts. It is common that seasonal employees will have 3 destinations that travel between at different points of the year to work.
- These employees do not have bank id.
- These employees do not speak Norwegian, they cannot complete the taxi theory and practical examinations
- These employees are highly skilled at their craft and will simply go to another country to continue doing the job they are already doing.
- These employees do not have the time to commit to getting the kjøreseddel for yrkksjåforer as it currently stands. This is a 4 month process and it is unreasonable for them to survive in Norway without salary while they wait.
- The taxi tests are irrelevant to their jobs and the employees aren't motivated to become taxi drivers.
2. The convoluted process for getting the kjøreseddel adds exceptional lengths to processing time and because it is across multiple different branches of government results in delays, loss of documents and financial implications.
3. Irrelevancy of the drosjeløyve to tourism. Tourism is a professional industry and many cities, such as Tromsø rely on tourism to survive. Tourism should have it's own løyve system that supports sustainable and safe tourism practices but is also sensical and logical to the industry and those businesses that operate within tourism/travel.
4. Education component of the drosjeløyve is not especially relevant to the tourism industry and should not be a requirement.
Here are the main implications to our business so far:
1. No human resources. Despite advertising for 1 year, we have not received an applicant who has a kjøreseddel for yrkkssjåforer or is already eligable to apply. No matter how high the salary, or how much we spend on advertising and HR consultants, there are no results.
Before the introduction of the drosjeløyve our guiding team was with 6 guides for van tours. Since the introduction of the drosjeløyve for tourism companies we only have 1 guide that can drive the guests. We are now canceling 5 out of 6 tours and are completely reliant on one employee.
2. Mass cancellations is bad for Norway's international perception. Visit Norway and Innovation Norway have done an exceptional job at marketing Norway as a small group and sustainable destination. Norway is currently perceived as the premier destination for nature-based northern lights tours and experiences. The introduction of the drosjeløyve impacts the possibility of small groups. With the expansion of international airports in the north, these small-group tours are more and more desirable. Pre-season bookings are up nearly 300% but with the lack of guides with kjøreseddels, companies will need to cancel guests and lay-off employees. The travelers are coming and they will be met with cancellations from law-abiding companies. This forces travellers to chose illegal or unsafe options, ultimately resulting Norway's brand being damaged and another destination will become more appealing.
2. Possible insolvency. We are canceling 96 tours a month in our high season. Vardekvalitet has scored our tours the highest in Norway, as has TripAdvisor and Travelife. If this is not solved by November 1st we will be forced to close down at the end of the financial year. Tromsø will lose another well established, law abiding, and professional company.
3. Industry collapse. There are 1700+ guiding registered companies in norway and this impacts the vast majority of them. The drosjeløyve (though irrelevant) forces guides to have a kjøreseddel they can't obtain. This prevents the industry from thriving. It prevents successful small group eco tour companies from increasing there very desired tours. Ultimately we are all being forced to chose between
b) operating illegally
c) no longer offering our profitable and highly desired small group tours and instead adding more big buses to the industry.
It's important to remember that the increase in taxi revenue will be directly impacted by the collapse of tourism. If tourism collapses the taxi industry will be immensely and inextricably impacted.
Going forward, tourism needs it's own relevant løyve and kjøreseddels. For an immediate solution, the industry desperately needs an exemption to the taxi theory and practical examinations for the kjøreseddel.
Creating an exemption to the taxi license requirement for guides that work exclusively for tour operators will allow the continuation of tour operators successful and profitable businesses, allow tour operators to continue to offer tours that fit the vision that Innovation Norway has for Norway and to allow talented and skilled guides to continue their seasonal employment here, season after season.