Entrepreneurs want to see investment in attracting Oslo residents to Värmland

At the same time as the border trade hits record deliveries, Sten Kilander delivers stinging criticism of the Värmland region, municipalities and companies.

He says there is a category of Norwegians who are not interested in border trade.

- You do far too little, you are satisfied that there is a lot of Norwegians and the border trade. I myself have lived in Oslo for 20 years and I know how unknown Värmland is there, he says.

Instead, many of the Norwegians who have money choose Northern Bohuslän and Strömstad instead of Värmland. This is despite the fact that environments and supply may well compete with Bohuslän, he believes.

Öyvind Ottersen, a journalist at the newspaper Grenseland in Örje in Norway, says that he cannot understand that Värmland is not able to market itself better to Norway.

- Värmland has all the conditions, but then they have to do something more than talk, he says.

- Why does Värmland not want some of the money flowing in Norway? I just don't understand it, he says.

He says that he himself lived at the border in Östfold county for almost his entire life, but that he was in Karlstad for the first time a couple of years ago.

- Nobody had told me why I should go to Karlstad? Interesting, but I still know very little about Karlstad, he says.

Borgvik, in Grum municipality, he was told by chance.

- I am interested in history but had never heard of Borgvik.

He was told that iron from Borgvik was used to build the Eifel tower in Paris.

- Then this will be a little bigger than just a place where you can buy coffee and eat some food. It turned out to be an absolutely fantastic place and I wonder: what motive does Värmland have for keeping this secret?

Now, Sten Kilander wants to see a real investment from the Värmland region and from the municipalities to reach people in Oslo and in Östfold.

- On the streets in Karlstad and in the hotels, there are a lot of Norwegians on the weekends, but they could be so incredible many more if we make a joint venture, says Sten Kilander.