Press release issued September 1, 2023

Bork Vikingehavn Breaks his own record - again! 

By the end of August 2023 - and long before the end of the season - 75,000 visitors will have traveled back to the Viking Age of West Jutland at Bork Vikingehavn. Not only has the museum regained its pre-pandemic visitor numbers or broken the record from 2022, but it has achieved its highest visitor numbers ever! Museum Director Mette Bjerrum Jensen is delighted that so many people are drawn to high-quality museum experiences and sees this as a clear indication of a growing demand for cultural tourism, which with the right investments can benefit not only the museums and their guests, but the entire region.

Recently, the organization Danish Museums published a study showing that most museums are back to their pre-pandemic visitor numbers. This also applies to Bork Vikingehavn - but the popular museum has done more than that. Never before have 75,000 guests visited the Viking Age, and the season isn't even over yet, as many Germans are also planning to spend their fall vacation in West Jutland and many of them usually make their way past the West Jutland Vikings.

The numbers speak for themselves
New accommodation options are attracting more guests to West Jutland, and Destination Vesterhavet reports a spring with the highest number of tourist nights and thus turnover in the local area ever. "We have long been working strategically to become a year-round destination that is also attractive to visit when the westerly wind blows inland. And it's not just isolated vacation homes and open doors to shops and restaurants that make the difference. Museums, such as Bork Vikingehavn, are an important factor in attracting more culture-hungry visitors all year round for the benefit of the entire region.

The first goal has been achieved - but new resources are needed to reach the next!
When Bork Vikingehavn opened its doors back in 2000, it was estimated to attract 15,000 visitors a year, and since the first longhouses were completed, the number of visitors has increased year on year. The museum has created a solid operating economy, but there has been no room to invest in guest facilities such as toilets, café, exhibitions, etc. which are important ingredients for a high-quality museum visit. Bork Vikingehavn has made small adjustments year by year to improve the quality of the experience, but the pain threshold for offering guests good basic facilities during their visit will soon be reached with 75,000 visitors. Ringkøbing Fjord Museum's ambition is to send Bork Vikingehavn to the very top of Danish museums, but in order to achieve this goal, investment is needed to develop Bork Vikingehavn into a year-round museum. This requires funding and local support that goes beyond what the museum can throw on the table, even after a year with a reasonable bottom line.

But experience from similar projects, for example in Varde Municipality, is that an investment of this nature will pay for itself; through more visitors in the off-season, not only at the museums, but also in the local
and restaurants - and in the municipal coffers when more attractive year-round jobs are created.

"We have sky-high ambitions, and every day we work to ensure that visitors have the best possible experience when they when they visit Bork Vikingehavn and our other museums. But we want to make it even better. And it's not just for the
guests, or for the sake of the museums, it's for the sake of the whole community! By offering quality attractions and museums like Bork Vikingehavn , we attract more cultural tourists to the area all year round, who in turn reward their experience by putting money into the local coffers, which in turn creates a need for skilled local workforce all year round. Ultimately, it's about much more than museums, it's about about local development and securing a tax base for the future. And when the number of visitors to Bork Vikingehavn increases year on year, it's a clear sign that there is a demand for what museums can offer and contribute to the local community."

Mette Bjerrum Jensen, Museum Director Ringkøbing Fjord Museums

For further information contact:
Museum Director Mette Bjerrum Jensen, tel. +45 30 28 08 75, mbj@rfmuseer.dk
Head of Communications Iben Granum Møller, tel. +45 60 86 44 78. Email: igm@rfmuseer.dk