Vibrant holiday resorts and coastal scenery with beaches, dune landscapes, heathland, woodland, lakes and the 22,500 hectare North Sea Nature Park. About one hour's journey to LEGOLAND (2 million guests), and the Wadden Sea National Park, a World Heritage Site and one of the largest intertidal areas in the world, is within easy reach.
The main attraction in the area is Tirpitz in Blåvand (0.3 million guests) offering interesting world-class architecture, activities and narratives. The large scale project Naturkraft in Ringkøbing - opening in 2020 will also contribute as a new experience center.
Destination Vesterhavet includes Ringkøbing Fjord, which covers an area of 300 km2 and is the largest fjord in western Jutland. It is a shallow fjord with brackish water surrounded by salt marshes and a popular board sport destination. It contains some of the most important bird areas in Denmark.
The main tourisme is situated around the cities: Blåvand, Henne Strand, Hvide Sande and Søndervig - and together with the anchor cities: Varde, Skjern and Ringkøbing - the area is good example of a living local area.
With approximately nine million commercial overnight stays, West Coast South is a driver of tourism, and the tourist season is long, particularly in Blåvand which has the best seasonal spread on the west coast. The area in total is having the most overnight stays in all Denmark.
Destination Vesterhavet comprises the Varde and Ringkøbing-Skjern municipalities.
Main towns
- Vibrant holiday towns such as Blåvand, Henne, Vejers, Hvide Sande and Søndervig
- Ringkøbing (population; 10,000)
- Varde (population: 14,000)
- Esbjerg (population: 0.1 million), the fifth largest town in Denmark, is about 40 minutes away.
Main attractions
Main nature experiences
- Nymindestrømmen
- The North See Nature Park including the coastal landscapes, the Filsø lake and the deer that can often be seen near the Grærup Langsø lake
- The Wadden Sea National Park (a World Heritage site)
- Ringkøbing Fjord
- The Tipperne salt marshes, one of the most important bird areas in Denmark.
- Skjern Å/Skjern Enge stream and meadows that are the best place for salmon fishing in Denmark
- Naturkraft - adventure parc about the forces of the nature, opens 2020 in Ringkøbing.
Gastronomy
There are a number of renowned restaurants, many of which focus on local produce. The main restaurants are:
- Henne Kirkeby Kro
- Café Stranden
- Nymindegab Kro
- Ho Kro
- Henne Mølle Badehotel
- Sandgaard Restaurant
- by Grantland
- Stauning Havn Restaurant
Main events
A number of events create activity throughout the area and extend the season. The main events are:
- Sand Sculpture Festival in Søndervig
- Herring Festival (in Danish) in Hvide Sande, Denmark's largest angling competition
- WaterZ - world championships in windsurfing, kitesurfing and other board sports
- Winter Swimming Festival in Søndervig
- North Sea Beach Marathon - held in Hvide Sande in Juni
- Varde Summer Outdoor Theatre - Denmark's largest amateur theatre
- Filsø Food Festival
- Wadden Tide - the first large art exhibition in Denmark with an international focus on culture, nature and identity in the Danish Wadden Sea
Infrastructure
Good infrastructural connections from motorway, Billund Airport.
Current capacity
The majority of commercial overnight stays are in holiday homes, and growth is currently being seen in this type of holidaymaking, the main growth market being Germany. Visitors request more accommodation suitable for short breaks.
Breakdown of current capacity:
- Holiday homes for rent: 8,000
- Camping pitches: 5,000
- Hotel beds: 1,380
- Holiday parks: 5 (Landal Seawest, Henne Beach Holiday Park, Ho Holiday and Activity Park, Danland Søndervig and Danland Bork.
- Marinas: 4 (Bork, Ringkøbing, Hvide Sande and Stauning)
