In Ålesund, a compact coastal city in western Norway, everything about the architecture and layout felt intuitive.
Ålesund Sentrum/Miriam Kimvangu
Streets were clean, signage was clear, and the waterfront felt like a shared public space rather than a strip of private development. It made me think about home, and about how many South African towns are trying to revive local tourism while still protecting their character.
Ålesund’s success is built on design choices that quietly make travel easier and more enjoyable. Many of these lessons are surprisingly transferable to small towns across South Africa.
Walkability that keeps people lingering
One of the most noticeable things about Ålesund is how naturally you move through it on foot. Pavements are wide and continuous. Crossings are obvious and frequent. Shops and cafés face the street instead of hiding behind parking lots. The town encourages wandering. Wandering leads to spending time and spending time supports local business.
This is something towns like Greyton and Stanford already do well. Their compact centres invite visitors to park once and explore slowly. In contrast, places such as Clarens and Dullstroom often struggle during peak seasons when traffic dominates the experience. Improving pedestrian flow and reducing vehicle congestion might not only improve safety but also change how people interact with the town itself.
Waterfronts that belong to everyone
Ålesund is built across several small islands, which means water is never far away. What stands out is how accessible that water remains. Harbours are active with boats, yet there are still benches, promenades and viewing points that encourage people to sit and watch daily life unfold.
At home, Wilderness, Hermanus and parts of Paternoster show how powerful a shared shoreline can be when it remains open and welcoming. When waterfronts become overly commercial or restricted, towns lose one of their strongest emotional assets. Simple investments like seating, lighting and clear walking routes can make a major difference to how long visitors stay in an area.
Heritage that works for a living
After a major fire in 1904, Ålesund was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style, and that architectural identity is still carefully maintained. Instead of freezing buildings in time, the town keeps them active. Old structures house bakeries, hotels, galleries and offices. Heritage becomes part of the daily economy, not just a backdrop for photographs.
Towns like Prince Albert and Swellendam have shown how preservation can drive tourism when restoration guidelines are taken seriously. Where renovations become inconsistent or overly modern, towns slowly lose the sense of place that draws people in the first place. Heritage is not only about aesthetics. It builds trust. Visitors feel they are somewhere distinctive and that encourages longer stays and repeat visits.
Signage that reduces travel fatigue
Good signage is invisible until it is missing. In Ålesund, maps are easy to find, directions are consistent and public transport information is clear. Visitors spend less time feeling lost and more time exploring.
This may sound minor, but confusion quickly leads to frustration, especially for families and older travellers. Towns like Hermanus and Greyton benefit from relatively strong wayfinding systems. Others still rely on informal or cluttered signage that overwhelms rather than guides. Standardised, well-placed signs are one of the lowest cost upgrades a town can make, yet they have an outsized effect on visitor confidence.
Visitor flow without the feeling of crowds
Ålesund manages busy periods by spreading attractions across the town and its surrounding viewpoints and islands. People naturally disperse rather than gathering in one congested core. Trails, boat routes and public transport all help move visitors through different spaces.
In South Africa, tourism hotspots often funnel everyone into the same few streets. Clarens and Dullstroom are well known examples where popularity can work against the visitor experience. Creating additional walking loops, scenic routes and public attractions outside the main commercial strip could help distribute foot traffic and protect the small town feel that visitors are seeking.
Cleanliness as a signal of care
Perhaps the most subtle but powerful lesson from Ålesund is how cleanliness shapes perception. Public benches, pavements and waterfront areas are well maintained. Waste is managed efficiently. The result is not perfection, but consistency.
Clean spaces communicate pride and safety, which directly influence how comfortable visitors feel. This is not only a municipal issue. It also reflects community involvement and business responsibility. Towns that invest in routine maintenance protect their tourism reputation long before marketing campaigns become necessary.
What this means for South African towns
Ålesund succeeds because everyday systems work well together. Streets are designed for people. Heritage is treated as an asset, movement is simple and public spaces invite lingering.
Many South African towns already have the raw ingredients for this kind of success. Scenic settings, strong food cultures and distinctive architecture are not in short supply. What is often missing is coordination. Small design and planning choices, when applied consistently, shape the entire travel experience.
For visitors, this means choosing destinations that value slow exploration and community character. Whereas for the small towns, it means recognising that visitor satisfaction is built through hundreds of small interactions rather than a few headline attractions. Great small town tourism does not shout for attention. It simply works, quietly and confidently.
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