Slow cruising: Interview: Spitsbergen: Longyearbyen. FAM-trip: A winter. Page Page Page 23 CRUISE NORTH.

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1 Slow cruising: Costa cruising to new ports Page 6-7 Interview: More growth for our smaller ports Page Spitsbergen: Longyearbyen joins forces Page 23 FAM-trip: A winter travelogue Page CRUISE NORTH 2015 Edition TASTE OF NATURE Page Centre spread: CNNS Map & Facts

2 PORT OF LEKNES - LOFOTEN GATEWAY TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS IN THE WORLD Fishing villages, fishing trips, hiking, kayaking, Vikings, Northern Lights and Midnight Sun safaris Lofoten offers spectacular nature and adventures all year round PORT OF LEKNES (LOFOTEN) P.O. BOX 203, N-8376 LEKNES havn@vestvagoy.kommune.no DESTINATION LOFOTEN CRUISE PORT BODØ Your First Port of Call North of the Arctic Circle We are proud to present Bodø as a new exciting cruise destination in Northern Norway. We can accommodate virtually all cruise ships and offer a great variety of shore activities for all ages, all group sizes and all activity levels. Bodø is Northern Norway s second largest town, with modern Scandinavian shopping and restaurant experiences available. Among shore highlights is the world strongest maelstrom Saltstraumen with a visible presence of an exiting stone age heritage; the Norwegian Aviation Museum; Kjerringøy picturesque historic trading post. Bodø also has a major airport with one-stop connections to most gateways in Europe. Photo: Knut Skarsfjord Foto: Nadia Nordskott Foto: Ernst Furuhatt Foto: Bjørn Erik Olsen bodohavn.no 2 CRUICE NORTH 2015

3 Contents 4 Editorial: The tourists want to travel via the sea route 6 Costa neoromantica: A different itinerary 10 Highlights in the North 16 Facts: CNNS Ports & Destinations 19 Northern Norway: Much more than the marquee ports 23 Svalbard Update: Bypassing the ban on heavy fuel oils 25 Harstad expands port and shorex offers 26 Northern Norway more than beautiful scenery: Events in the North 28 Cruising in search of the Northern Lights Editor: Erik Joachimsen (Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard), erik.joachimsen@cnns.no Layout: Krysspress AS, Tromsø, Norway English translation and proofreading: Gavin Tanguay Oversetting og språkvasking, Tromsø, Norway Print run: Printing: Skipnes, Trondheim, Norway Paper quality: Multiart Silk, 130 gr E-publish edition: cnns.no/download/ Ecolabel: The Swan Copyright: Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard SA (cnns.no) Cover photo: Polar Park Photo credits: Nadia Nordskott / Spitsbergen Travel / Port of Alta / Erik Joachimsen Meet Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard representatives at Cruise Shipping in Miami, March 17 19, 2015, at Cruise Norway s booth # 831. CNNS is an associate member of Cruise Norway, and represents 12 cruise ports. For more details, please visit: cnns.no CRUICE NORTH

4 More arriving by sea It s still the case that just one percent of the world s cruise traffic makes it to Northern Norway and Spitsbergen/Svalbard. That means there are still many people who are yet to visit our beautiful coast and the world s northernmost cruise ports. Let s start with a few statistics. When Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard was established in 2011, there were 318 calls to our 14 cruise ports with a total of 270,000 arriving passengers. In four years, the number of calls and arriving passengers has increased by 50%. In 2014 a total of 413,000 cruise passengers arrived our ports, and in 2015 we expect a further increase of 5%. North Cape is our northernmost port on the Norwegian mainland. Checking the statistics from 1995 up to the present day confirms that arriving at the North Cape via the sea route has increased dramatically. Twenty years ago one in five arrived by ship, but the proportion is now two out of three. Cruise traffic has scored a knockout against all other forms of traffic to the world s northernmost mainland point, including the domestic coastal steamer Hurtigruten. Spitsbergen is facing new challenges in 2015 following the introduction of a ban on heavy fuel oils for a major proportion of this Arctic archipelago. Tourism at latitude 78 N is not allowing itself to be wiped up by such apparent limitations and is instead meeting this challenge head on. Shore excursions are now being developed in Isfjorden, which is close to the capital of the archipelago, Longyearbyen, the world s northern most cruise port. We can guarantee cruise lines that still wish to call at Spitsbergen that passengers will receive magical Arctic adventures that are at least as good as before. More good news in 2015 is that Costa, which has traditionally called at the four main destinations in the north, will this year sail its smallest ship to completely new destinations. Costa neoromantica will call at Bodø, Narvik, Sortland and Lofoten a full seven times from May to September. This just goes to prove that there are great opportunities for new, alternative itineraries in the Arctic region. We can already see the outlines of the future. The passengers are becoming increasingly younger 4 CRUICE NORTH 2015

5 All photo: nordnorge.com and hence more active. And the older ones are becoming more active. This places completely different demands on the providers of adventures for these guests. The passengers want to get out and really experience the nature and have memorable encounters with the local people and culture. A good example of this is the ascent of the North Cape by boat and hike from Hornvika. Norway is literally Powered by Nature! excursions that have been specially adapted to follow market trends. We think this is only the start the tourist of the future wants to experience Northern Norway just like the very first tourists experienced our beautiful region in the 19th century. By sea! Regardless of the mode of travel, the trend is that people are taking shorter but more frequent holidays. This is also reflected by the fact that the most popular cruises last less than one week. A cruise to Northern Norway and Svalbard takes between 11 and 14 days. In order to experience our region in a week, we recommend turnaround operations in the north. This also provides opportunities for butterfly cruises to Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Spitsbergen. Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard is now close to reaching the targets that we sat ourselves when we established our cruise network four years ago. The smaller ports are receiving more traffic and more turnaround operations are now being performed in Northern Norway. In addition, the cruise destinations have made a real effort to develop innovative shore Harriet Willassen Chair of the Board Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard Erik Joachimsen Managing Director Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard CRUICE NORTH

6 Costa neoromantica calls at new destinations: Cruising new routes In the summer of 2015 Costa neoromantica will call at completely new destinations in the north, all of which are located within a small radius. A total of eight itineraries will call at Bodø, Narvik, Vesterålen and Lofoten. That s exactly how we hope the cruise ships will make use of Northern Norway in the future, says the Managing Director of CNNS, Erik Joachimsen. CRUISE NORTH MAGAZINE The first of the eight voyages is in March, while the last is in September. Costa neoromantica has a capacity of 1670 passengers, which normally includes guests from Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. Coast has not called at three of the ports Bodø, Narvik and Vesterålen in recent years so this will be a new experience for the cruise line and the cruise destinations. The longest sailing distance is between Bodø and Narvik, and is only 115 nautical miles. Another new development is that Costa has changed its shorex agent in It will now use Nordic Gateway, which was recently established in Norway. That in itself is a challenge, but something that the CNNS destinations can deal with at the drop of a hat. Grethe Parker, the Cruise Manager in Narvik, is positive about the challenges that all parties are facing. This itinerary is Northern Norway in a nutshell. The four ports involved complement each other in a perfect way, she says. This itinerary also enables the cruise line to perform slow cruising. In this way, the cruise line will save on fuel costs while the passengers get to experience the beautiful scenery in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Parker says that 1670 passengers is a manageable number for Narvik as a cruise port, and that this fits well with the destination s strategy to develop capacity for shorex in line with the increased size of the ships. We will experience some challenges when it comes guide languages, but even that is something we will cope fine with, she says. Narvik cooperates closely with nearest cruise port, Harstad (page 27). Both destinations are now making a concerted effort to train new guides that can guide in both destinations and can speak several languages. Establishing a common guide pool means we will be able to handle large calls in several places, so this is definitely something we are going to focus on in the future, says an optimistic Parker. BODØ CRUISE NETWORK Bodø, the southernmost of the four destinations, is in the process of establishing its own cruise network so it will be more united for the Costa calls as well as other calls in the future. Northern Norway s second largest city had modest 4300 arriving passengers in However, this will almost quadruple in 2015 to more than 15,500 passengers. Costa neoromantica alone accounts for around 13,000 of these. We re developing a good structure with clear distribution of responsibilities, says the Director of Development and Communications at the Port of Bodø, Erlend A. Willumsen. Good cooperation between all the parties involved the agent, the shorex providers, the guides and the bus companies is a virtue of necessity in order to have time for this to work, says Willumsen. In the longer-term, Bodø has major plans to attract larger and more cruise ships. Within a two-year period, he hopes a project to dredge the seabed and remove underwater rock formations will be completed. This will enable us to receive even larger ships and, in doing so, increase the volume of arriving passengers. We have good capacity to achieve this, says Willumsen. Stig Johansen from Polar Tours is 6 CRUICE NORTH 2015

7 Sortland Narvik Leknes Bodø This map shows the four ports, all of which are located within a compact sailing area. The longest distance between two ports is approx. 115 nautical miles (Bodø to Narvik). new to the cruise game. He has taken responsibility for coordinating the shorex offers and creating attractive packages for the Costa guests in Bodø. We have a dedicated guide company that can supply the guides we need. We are also in the process of developing a series of combinations that will make visiting Bodø even more attractive. To give one example, guests will be able to take a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RiB) to Saltraumen, the world s strongest maelstrom, and then return to Bodø by bus. Johansen adds that they are also working to develop niche products based on local food traditions and culture. We are currently developing a culinary course, which we believe will be to the guests taste literally, he says. Working in a larger network as we do in Bodø makes everything so much easier when you re going to handle a large number of passengers within a short space of time, says Johansen, who has no desire for local providers to sell their products at the quayside in Bodø. OVERLAND TOURS The Lofoten Islands is by far the most experienced cruise destination of the four ports that Costa will call at on these somewhat special cruises. However, Ole Martin Hammer from the Lofoten Cruise Network, which represents virtually all the providers in Lofoten, is aware that these cruises represent a new challenge for Lofoten. This gives us new opportunities, in part because the distances between the ports are so short. Consequently, we will be offering overland trips with the possibility to stay overnight in an authentic rorbu (fishermen s cottage), participate in attractive adventures and enjoy local culinary traditions. Such offers are not available for regular cruise calls that only last for up to eight hours. This provides us an opportunity to cooperate more closely with other ports, Costa neoromantica: Owned by Costa Crociere, completed in 1993 as a sister ship to Costa neoclassica and refurbished in Her public rooms are decorated with rare woods, Carrara marble, and millions of dollars worth of original works of art. In November 2011, Costa Romantica underwent a 90 million refurbishment. Two new half decks were added as a part of the refurbishment. This increased the gross tonnage of the ship from 53,000 to 56,769 tonnes. Following the major refurbishment, the cruise ship was renamed neoromantica and set sail on her first voyage with the new name on March and that s always informative and good for the business, says Hammer. In Vesterålen too, where Sortland is the cruise port, a wide variety of shore and sea-based offers will be available. Sortland is known as the blue town, with all the houses painted the same pronounced shade of blue. Not far from downtown Sortland, the cruise passengers can experience an authentic siida, a Sami settlement, where Inga and her family are reindeer herders. The famous fishing village of Nyksund, which was abandoned but has now been resettled, is just an hour s drive from the port and a visit there is a wonderful experience. Another great experience here is going on a whale watching safari just off the coast of Vesterålen in the heart of the whale s feeding grounds. If you go on one of the organised safaris, whale sightings are virtually guaranteed. MORE TO FOLLOW? Harriet Willassen, the Chair of the Board of Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard, is extremely satisfied with Costa s focus on compact cruises and hopes that the cruise line and providers succeed right from the start. We hope that in time more cruise lines will do the same and that more of our smaller ports will be added to the itineraries of the larger cruise lines. One of the goals we set when we established our regional cruise network was that the smaller cruise destinations would get more traffic, and it looks like this is now about to happen. Nothing pleases us more than that, says a proud Chair of the Board. CRUICE NORTH

8 MEET THE VIKINGS USEFUL FACTS: Recommended time use: min (calculate extra time to row the Viking ship and participate in activities). Audio guide system in exhibition halls. Live guides in the Viking Chieftain s house. Short guided tours. Ample parking space. Drop off zone for buses, nearby entrance. Museum gift shop with a wide range of quality gifts. Cafè (June August). Capasity: 3 buses/ ca 130 persons pr 15 min. Open: all year! BOOKING: booking@lofotr.no Tel WINNER! Certificate of Excellence Lofotr Viking Museum The largest Viking longhouse in the world was found at Borg in Lofoten. The reconstruction is in full size, 83 m. Beautiful decorations and exhibitions fill the house. The Vikings are demonstrating handcrafts and sharing their knowledge on the Viking Age with the visitors. The smell of tar and smoke, delicious Viking style food (on request), the craftsmanship - it all takes you back, more than 1000 years. By the sea, the Viking ship is moored. When weather permits, guests may join for short rowing- and sailing trips. Archery and axe-throwing are other popular activities ( ). In modern exhibition halls (audio guides, 6 languages), unique archeological artifacts are at display. The 12 minutes long film is worth seeing. Every August, the 5-day Viking festival is arranged. Market, games, competitions, theatre performances, concerts, workshops and even more the festival is filled with fun for all ages and nationalities. NORWEGIAN FISHING VILLAGE MUSEUM USEFUL FACTS: min, walk on your own or with local guide (5-6 languages). Museum gift shop; wide selection of quality gifts. Stone oven bakery, open June 1 - Aug 31. High capacity (many buses pr hour) Open all year. NORWEGIAN FISHING VILLAGE MUSEUM BOOKING: epost: nfmuseum@museumnord.no Lofotens most important income and export article was always fish. At the very end of the road, in Å in Lofoten, you can explore one of Norway s best preserved fishing villages. Cod liver oil factory, stone oven bakery (the most delicious cinnamon rolls!!), smithy and other important buildings. Let yourself become enthralled and amazed. The stories are waiting for you! museumnord.no

9 1 1. NORWEGIAN COAST ICON For more than 100 years, Hurtigruten has been and is an icon to the Norwegian people. Historical tour of the various fields of operation; loading/unloading, safety at sea and more. The darker side: shipwrecks and loss of life. Former Hurtigruten MV Finnmarken is part of the museum. USEFUL FACTS: Stokmarknes, Vesterålen. Duration: min. 3 minutes walk from the seaport. Easy access. Museum gift shop. High capacity (several buses pr hour) SPECTACULAR CONCERTS In a huge, former fish tank, an acoustic experience are served to you: mini concerts, specially composed music (10-15 min). Guided tour in the fishing industrial history (20-45 min). Serving of appetizers (fish, of course). 3. THE MANSION The story about northern Norway s most expansive industrial pioneers. Beautiful art noveau furniture, paintings and decor. Guided tours, 20 min. Meet mrs. Frederiksen (ca ) 2 for an afternoon snack and insight on daily life (20-40 min) USEFUL FACTS: Capasity: 2-4 buses pr hour, in combination with Spectacular concerts and/or guided town walk. Melbu in Vesterålen, nearby ferry site to Lofoten. Capasity: 2-3 buses pr hour. Combine with the Fishing industry museum and/or guided town walk. EXPERIENCE CENTER - STORVÅGAN - KABELVÅG BOOKING ALL 3: post@hurtigrutemuseet.no Tel Stokmarknes, Vesterålen islands. skrei High In the old medieval town of Vágar lay Storvågan, founded on the Lofoten Fishery and the stockfish trade. This town gave life to Lofoten in bygone times, and is the perfect place to explore the history connected with the stockfish, the skrei and the Lofoten fisheries. Feel the aura of history in an authentic atmosphere from the 1800s, with the authentic squire`s residence, country store, fishermen s cabins and traditional Nordland type boats in Lofoten Museum. Be moved by the artist Kaare Espolin Johnson s powerful expression as he depicts the regions dramatic history and the coastal people s life and fate. Guest exhibitions, shop, film Gallery Espolin. Experience the fascinating underwater world of Lofoten. Different species of fish and marine animals, films, the exhibition The Art of Co-existence. Feeding of seals and sea otters. 21 MUSEUMS 1000 STORIES capacity. Gift shop and café. BOOKING: skrei@museumnord.no Tel Øksnes Museum Andøymuseet Jennestad Handelssted Sortland Museum Bø Museum Hurtigrutemuseet Museum Nord Vesterålsmuseet Narvik Lofotr Viking & Norsk Fiskeindustrimuseum Museum Divtasvuodna/Korsnes Ballangen Museum Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum Skaftnes Gård Lofotmuseet, Divtasvuodna/Kjøpsvik Galleri Espolin & Lofotakvariet Norsk Telemuseum Norsk Fiskeværsmuseum CRUICE NORTH

10 Innovative Shore Excursions: The unique history of Northern Norway The world s northernmost cruise region Northern Norway and Spitsbergen is characterized by magnificent scenery, rich natural resources and a population that brings to life a region that at corresponding latitude elsewhere on earth would not be populated at all. This is largely due to the warm currents of the Gulf Stream, which flow along our coast and all the way up to Spitsbergen. CRUISE NORTH MAGAZINE Our region is waiting to share its unique and exciting history and many of those who travel here probably do so without realising just how many attractions, activities and experiences await them. In order to get a true understanding of the History of Northern Norway, a couple of years ago the CNNS cruise network initiated a project designed to develop new shore excursions based on the region s history, landscape, natural resources and people. Every cruise port in our network was gathered around the table and asked the following question: What is unique about your destination? After a round of self-examination, we arrived at a unified overview and Unique Selling Points were defined for each destination (see the overview on page 17). This would enable the region to emerge as differentiated and attractive, so that no client could ever rightly claim that all the ports offer the same. This has been an exciting exercise for CNNS. It proved to be a positive process that contributed to everyone gaining a better understanding of what each other could offer, while at the same time being able to work tirelessly on their own niche within an attractive entirety. Access to good buses and qualified guides is a virtue of necessity for every destination, but it s also pretty basic. A far greater challenge is the ability to develop attractive packages that are adapted to suit the market and may be offered at an acceptable price. But CNNS s members wanted to go further than that. We wanted to be innovative and took advantage of special expertise in this area, says the Managing Director of CNNS, Erik Joachimsen. The whole point of our signature project is to generate creativity and also to offer the cruise passengers physically active, exotic shore excursions based on Norway s slogan Powered by Nature. We believe this will provide us with success in the future, says an optimistic manager of CNNS. On the following pages, we have invited our local cruise heroes to express their favourite shore excursions at their own Four questions about cruise: destination as well as their thoughts about the future. You will also find an overview of innovative shore excursions, which will be available from the 2015 season for agents and cruise lines to sell to passengers on board the cruise ships. Please feel free to contact your cruise agent or the specific destination for a more detailed description of the unique opportunities on offer. We will also take this opportunity to recommend our readers to visit our shorex database at cnns.no/shorex-store. Enjoy! Cruise North magazine has chatted with contacts at all the cruise destinations in CNNS in order to present local recommendations. We asked the following questions: n If you were an overseas cruise passenger visiting your destination, what would you have done during your visit? n What are the Unique Selling Points (USP) for your destination? n What is important in order for the cruise passengers to have a successful visit to your destination? n What are you going to do to improve the future experience for the cruise line and passengers? 10 CRUICE NORTH 2015

11 Photo: Erik Joachimsen / CNNS DESTINATION: PORT OF LONGYEABYEN Contact: Ronny Brunvoll, ronny@visitsvalbard.com No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 41 (26) / 38,200 (27,000) Shorex: An organised tour to the new visitors centre at Mine 3, a coal mine which was closed down in 1996, is highly recommended. A visit here enables you to feel a sense of the tough work in the pitch black mines through storytelling as well physically exploring the mine. Mine 3 is located 2.5 km from the port. It s worth stopping en route at the Global seed vault, where spare copies of seeds from around the world are kept as a backup to the national gene banks. After visiting Mine 3, it s worth heading to Longyearbyen, where brewery visits, museums, shopping and café visits can add an extra dimension to the High Arctic experience. USP: Svalbard is in the High Arctic and offers truly unique experiences through nature and wildlife you won t find anywhere else so far north. Everything you visit here is the world s northernmost, from the kindergarten to the brewery! Successful visit: Longyearbyen is a small settlement that offers big experiences. In order to have a successful visit it s important to become acquainted with the local history as well as the special challenges that prevail, like the danger of polar bears. The King of the Arctic slinks around in the terrain so you should always have an armed guided when you venture outside the built up area. Book an organised excursion in advance. Improvements: There are plans for a new and substantially larger port in Longyearbyen which, when completed, will provide far better facilities at the port and on land. Moreover, we are working to develop Isfjorden as a destination for slow cruising, where among other things we will put in place recommended itineraries, developed landing sites, information and provisions for guiding. DESTINATION: CRUISE DESTINATION NORTH CAPE (HONNINGSVÅG) Contact: Åse Lill Barstad aaselill@northcape.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 104 (97) / 121,800 (116,600) Shorex: I would have taken the tour Hornvika the North Cape Classic, a new shore excursion where you experience the North Cape in the classical way. You ascend the top of Europe like adventurers and royalty did before the road was opened in This tour offers nature-based experiences, storytelling and tasting of local ingredients. USP: Our Unique Selling Point is of course the North Cape located at the top of Europe. In addition we have Northern Europe s largest bird cliff, and going on a safari there is a wonderful experience. It is home to millions of birds and each colony has its own story. Our proximity to the sea provides the basis for memorable adventures like fishing trips and king crab safaris. Last, but by no means least, we have a rich cultural life. North Cape Café Theatre conveys the story of why we live at 71 N. Successful visit: Putting quality before quantity is incredibly important for us. Our guests should travel home with a rich array of impressions and tell their family and friends about the great experiences they had. After visiting our port, they should leave with great memories and a desire to return to our region. Improvements: The providers at North Cape have agreed to cooperate to achieve a common goal: the focus is on the customer and their experiences. The aim of this initiative, which is rooted in the tourism industry s own master plan, is to create a better development culture at North Cape so we can create more CRUICE NORTH

12 customized and individualized services in which the entire focus is on the needs of the guests throughout their entire trip. the cruise ships. We also want to be able to offer Northern Lights-related experiences all year round even though in reality it s only possible to see it during the autumn and winter. DESTINATION: PORT OF HAMMERFEST Contact: Knut-Arne Iversen, Hammerfest Tourist kai@hammerfest-turist.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 20 (16) / 18,700 (17,600) Shorex: I would have visited the Polar Bear Society and the Museum of Reconstruction for Finnmark and Northern Troms or perhaps rented an e-bike and explored Hammerfest on my own. USP: The world s northernmost town, from Pomorian trade to energy town (five energy sources) and meridian and land surveying history. Our history is based on Northern Norway s oldest town, polar history, the history of energy and war history. Successful visit: Good information, signs, map, open shops, good activities and attractions. Improvements: Even better reception at the quayside, good guides, exciting activities and attractions an open town. Polar Park DESTINATION: PORT OF ALTA Contact: Henriette Bismo Eilertsen, henriette@northadventure.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 29 (27) / 29,300 (32,200) Shorex: In summer I would have chosen the Alta Museum with its world famous rock art, as well as the Northern Lights Cathedral and the Alta Canyon. If I came in winter I would have gone to the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, the Northern Lights Cathedral and chased the Northern Lights. USP: The Northern Lights in autumn and winter. In summer, it s without doubt the famous rock art, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Successful visit: Alta is a small destination so the main things are that they have good guides and that everything is arranged before they arrive. Improvements: Alta wishes to develop a better tourist information office, which can really help the guests to get the most out of their stay. We also want there to be better offers for the crew on board DESTINATION: PORT OF TROMSØ Contact: Harriet Willassen, Port of Tromsø, hwi@tromso.havn.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 109 (102) / 111,700 (119,200) Shorex: I would have gone to the Tromsø Villmarksenter (wilderness centre). Imagine driving just 25 minutes out of the city and enjoying an authentic wilderness experience with Tove and her family! Seeing a film of Tove competing in sled dog races, drinking coffee brewed on the fire, visiting the dog yard with around 300 Alaskan huskies and having close up contact with the puppies is something you ll remember for life. This is a great experience for guests of all ages. Afterwards, I would have taken the cable car up to Mt Storsteinen for a panoramic view of Tromsø and the surrounding mountains. And I would have rounded off the day with a concert at the Arctic Cathedral or a cappuccino and some local food at one of the city s pleasant cafés or restaurants. It s no coincidence that the city is called the Paris of the North! USP: The Urban Arctic. Few other places enable you to experience the big city urban services while at the same time being in the heart of the wild North Norwegian nature. Successful visit: It s important that the cruise ship / cruise line plans the stay so that the passengers have enough time ashore to experience the city and its attractions. It s also important that the cruise ships have correct and good information available on board that is distributed to the passengers so that they can plan their stay and get the most out of it. 12 CRUICE NORTH 2015

13 Sortland: The blue town. Improvements: We want to focus on how we as a destination receive our guests and how we arrange everything so they can have the best possible experience while they are here. This also means that the cruise lines, agents and destinations need to work closer together to give the guests unique and good experiences. Successful visit: That the guests are well received in our town, that they have a variety of options and not least the opportunity to experience something unique. Improvements: We are working continuously to improve the experience at the port area where the ship docks. We have a tourist office and sales stands on the quayside and we are working to be able to offer free Wi-Fi. the world s most beautiful archipelago. On land, we can offer wonderful naturebased experiences and a rich history and culture. There are also opportunities for turnaround operations with Evenes Airport just a short distance from Harstad. Successful visit: Good information about the city and what we can offer prior to calling in Harstad, flexible and efficient logistics for both vessel and passengers on arrival and on land and, of course, smiling and good hosting at every level. Improvements: Development of the quay, so it s longer and better suited for capacity and receiving larger and more cruise ships at the same time. We need to educate more and ever better guides, with more languages available. Work is also underway to develop unique packages from our region in both winter and summer. Harstad will become a very good cruise destination! DESTINATION: PORT OF NARVIK Contact: Grethe Parker, post@cruisenarvik.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 12 (14) / 8600 (15,200) Shorex: I would have chosen to go on an excursion to experience something that s not possible to experience where I come from something unique. In Narvik, that would without doubt be Polar Park and visiting the wolves at the Wolf Camp. You can have a close-up encounter with socialized wolves (see cover photo)! USP: In Narvik Polar Park and the Ofoten Line railway are the completely unique experiences, but the cable car and World War II history are also important for our destination. DESTINATION: PORT OF HARSTAD Contact: Gro Dagsvold, gro@destinationharstad.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 3 (2) / 2300 (1000) Shorex: Experienced the world s most beautiful archipelago by boat! Harstad has a unique history that spans several era and historic events. The Trondenes Peninsula has three wonderful attractions worth visiting. I would have also joined a fantastic Northern Lights chase and nature-based experiences in a class of their own or snow fun! USP: The cruise ships can dock right in the centre of the city and travel out in DESTINATION: PORT OF SORTLAND / VESTERÅLEN Contact: Ssemjon Gerlitz, ssemjon@discoverarctic.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 6 (11) / 4800 (12,400) Shorex: Above all I would have gone to Sortland Church, which is close to the port. I would then have walked through the town and had a coffee at one of the various cafés. Afterwards I would have visited Sortland Kulturhus (cultural centre) with museum exhibitions just 100 m from the quay. Sortland is the blue town! USP: That s pretty clear: Inga Sami Siida, where a Sami family demonstrates its culture. That is followed by Nyksund, a previously abandoned fishing village with an exciting history and unique architecture. Now there s new life in the fishing village. CRUICE NORTH

14 Successful visit: They should be prepared for all types of weather regardless of the season! Improvements: We want to get more activity in town when a cruise ship calls in Sortland. Vesterålen has several small companies producing art and articles for daily use. We want to create a market when cruise ships come. We are happy to receive suggestions from the cruise lines about what their clients want. DESTINATION: PORTS OF LOFOTEN (LEKNES AND SVOLVÆR) Contact: Sissel Hansen, sissel@lofoten.info No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 76 (63) / 66,200 (74,000) Shorex: I would buy an organised excursion so that I would be guaranteed of seeing the unique selling points within the programme. Perhaps a half day trip from the Leknes Cruise Port with the first stop at Lofotr Viking Museum, the site of the ancient Viking farm that was discovered by a farmer ploughing his land in the early 1980s. Today it has been reconstructed and is considered to be an archaeological sensation. Afterwards you go to Nusfjord, which is one of the most idyllic and best preserved fishing villages in Lofoten. If you have the whole day and time to be active, stop for a stand-uppaddle course with Lofoten Adventure Company by the idyllic beach of Ramberg before you head to Å to visit the Lofoten Stockfish Museum. USP: I must say it s the legendary Lofoten fishery for the Skrei (winter cod) and the dramatic landscape, which was voted by National Geographic as the most beautiful islands in the world. The picturesque villages of Henningsvær, Nusfjord and Reine are among the places you can experience this at its best. Not to forget the amazing Northern Lights during winter and Midnight Sun during the summer, mesmerizing both tourists and locals every year. Our cultural traditions from fishing and the Viking era are also very unique selling point for the Lofoten islands. Successful visit: It s very important for us that cruise passengers visiting the Lofoten islands are met by availability, hospitality and well organised excursions. Improvements: In the future, we will work on improving high quality from the first meeting until we wave goodbye. The aim is that the guests want to return giving continuous business to the Lofoten islands and also the cruise lines. DESTINATION: PORT OF BODØ Contact: Erlend A. Willumsen, Port of Bodø, eaw@bodohavn.no No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 9 (11) / 4400 (15,300) Shorex: On a day-trip to Bodø, I would have prioritized seeing the fantastic Saltstraumen, the world s strongest maelstrom, which has an idyllic location just outside Bodø. If I had time before the ship departed, I would have stopped at one of the shrimp boats docked in the city centre and bought a bag of fresh shrimps, which I would have eaten at the marina with my legs dangling over the side of the wharf. USP: Bodø by light Midnight Sun, Polar Night and Northern Lights. And we have a unique history to share from the Cold War. Successful visit: I recommend the cruise passengers to use visitbodo.no to prepare for their visit. You will find an overview of all the available options and there are many! Improvements: A cruise network is in the process of being established in Bodø, which will ensure quality assurance and product development, which will please the cruise lines and passengers alike. Improvements are also being made at the port so large ships can call. DESTINATION: PORT OF BRØNNØYSUND Contact: Marita Ahonen marita@visithelgeland.com No. of calls/passengers 2014 / (Est. 2015): 12 (6) / 5300 (1100) Shorex: I would have taken a stroll along the quayside from the town centre to Sørbyen in the oldest part of town. On this route you pass the guest marina and can experience the small boats in the coastal town in the middle of Norway. In historic Sørbyen you will find old wooden buildings and narrow streets that create a great atmosphere. I would also have wandered up on the Brønnøy Bridge for fantastic views to both the north and south. From there you also get a wonderful overview of the archipelago containing the Vega Islands, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Naturally, it s also well worth a visit! USP: Brønnøysund is the first port when you come to Northern Norway. Here you find the legendary mountain Torghatten with a hole right through it and we re proud that the Vega Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Successful visit: Have a chat with the staff at the tourist information office. They can recommend walking routes and things to see. You need good footwear and clothes to suit the weather. We re still in Northern Norway although we are the southernmost town. Improvements: Brønnøysund is continuing the work to develop and quality assure existing excursions as well as new ones. We are cooperating across various industries in order to provide the best possible experience for visitors to Brønnøysund. 14 CRUICE NORTH 2015

15 SHOREX 2014 : INNOVATIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CNNS has worked in a targeted manner to develop a new menu of Shorex offers for the cruise market. The following list shows some of the offers the various destinations can present. Feel free to contact the specific destination for details and quotes and to visit Northern Norway and Spitsbergen to experience it first-hand! Cruise destination Longyearbyen New Shorex offers Walks, cableway for coal transport Dog shuttle from port to downtown Longyearbyen Slow cruising in Isfjorden North Cape Hammerfest North Cape/Hornvika The classical way to enter the North Cape Plateau North Cape Café Theatre Living at the North Cape Winter Expedition North Cape e-bike town sightseeing Fish Camp The history of Adolf Lindstrøm Alta Northern Lights Cathedral Overland trip to Hammerfest Overland trip to Kautokeino Tromsø Concert at the Arctic Cathedral Northern Lights photography course Snowshoeing trek Narvik The iron ore industry World War II history Boat museum, Gratangen / Foldvik Vesterålen Aquaculture Vesterålen Life in the sea Inga Sami Siida a reindeer herding family Nyksund refurbished fishing village Harstad Snow Fun activities in the snow The Trondenes Peninsula a wide range of history Culinary culture sailing trip Anna Rogde Lofoten Full Steam Henningsvær (production of cod liver oil) The Glassblower in Vikten storytelling Aaland Gård farm cheese factory Bodø The Cold War The Spy City RIB safari The blue plate - the importance of herring to Bodø Brønnøysund Prestøya Lighthouse Traditional flatbread baking Sømna Open Air Museum CRUICE NORTH

16 1 Svalbard / Spitsbergen - Longyearbyen Unique Selling Points: High Arctic nature and wildlife, explorers, adventurers and polar history Quay Bykaia : 300 m/9 m, Quay Gamlekaia : 90 m/5 m Shorex contact: Spitsbergen Travel, cruise@spitsbergentravel.no Port contact: Port Manager Kjetil Bråten, bykaia@lokalstyre.no 7 Tromsø Svalbard 1 Longyearbyen Unique Selling Points: Where your Arctic adventure begins, Northern Lights, Arctic adventures, the Arctic capital powered by nature, world s northernmost university, the Paris of the North and Gateway to the Arctic Ocean Quay Breivika: 102 m/11 m, 104 m / 11.5 m, 150 m/11.5 m Quay Prostneset City Centre: 200 m/8 m and 300 m/9 m Shorex contact: Arctic Guide Service, arcticguideservice.no or Farout, farout.no Port contact: Marketing Manager Harriet Willassen, hwi@tromso.havn.no 9 Ve Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard: Cruise in the Arctic Europe This map provides an overview of all the cruise destinations associated with our network, Cruise Northern Norway & Svalbard (CNNS). Our cruise network was established to develop new shorex offers, create interest in turnaround operations and promote CNNS in collaboration with Cruise Norway. CNNS is an associate member of Cruise Norway. If your cruise line or cruise company wants to come on a FAM trip to our ports and destinations, please feel free to contact us. You will find contact details on our website, cnns.no. You will also find all information imaginable about each destination, including port information, shorex database, image gallery, sailing distances, downloads and turnaround opportunities. 13 lofoten Brønnøysund 11 Svolvær 11 Leknes 12 Bodø northern norway 16 CRUICE NORTH 2014

17 4 Honningsvåg / North Cape Unique Selling Points: North Cape, the ultimate place to see Midnight Sun and Northern Lights, life in the fishing villages, catching the Red King Crab, the Sami life and the reindeer migration and seabirds Quay North: 100 m/12 m Quay 1: 150 m/10 m Quay 2: 70 m/10 m Quay 3: 125 m/10 m Quay West: 115 m/10 m Quay South: 80 m/10 m Quay East: 80 m/10 m Shorex contact: Arctic Guide Service, northcape@arcticguideservice.no and Artico Ice Bar, artico@articoicebar.com Port contact: Keth Lokke Pettersen, keth.lokke.pettersen@nordkapp.kommune.no 5 Hammerfest 4 Lakselv Honningsvåg / North Cape 6 Alta 7 Tromsø northern norway 8 Harstad sterålen 10 Narvik Wide body aircraft Medium body aircraft CNNS Cruise-destination 13 Brønnøysund Unique Selling Points: World Heritage area, geology, where Northern Norway starts/ends and trade history Quay 1: Gårdsøya : 250 m/25 m Quay2: Central Port town centre : 140 m/6.2 m Shorex contact: Charlotte Grøtheim Olsen, charlotte@visithelgeland.no Port contact: Port Manager Sølvi H. Kristoffersen, bronnoy.havn@bronnoy.kommune.no 11 Lofoten - Leknes Unique Selling Points: The Lofoten seasonal fisheries, spectacular nature and Viking history Quay 1: 230 m/10 m Shorex contact: Arctic Guide Service, lofoten@arcticguideservice.no or Farout, farout.no Port contact: Port Manager Ann-Helen Ernstsen, ann-helen. ernstsen@vestvagoy.kommune.no 11 Lofoten - Svolvær Unique Selling Points: The Lofoten winter fishery, spectacular nature and Viking history East Quay: 214 m/6 m West Quay: 122 m/10 m Shorex contact: Arctic Guide Service, lofoten@arcticguideservice.no or Farout, farout.no Port contact: Port Manager Kjell H. Hanssen, vaganhavn@vagan.kommune.no 12 Bodø Unique Selling Points: Coastal culture, trade history, defence history, the spy city, the modern service centre and the Saltstraumen Maelstrom Quay1 + 2: City Centre 150 m/7 m and 200 m/7 m Quay Rønvika: 1: Rønvika 300 m/8 m 2: 150 m/9 m 3: 210 m/8.4 m 4: 200 m/8.5 m Shorex contact: Magic North, Kirtsen M. Holmen, kirsten.holmen@magicnorth.no Port contact: Port Manager Ingvar M. Mathisen, imm@bodohavn.no 9 Vesterålen (Sortland) Unique Selling Points: Amazing nature and wildlife, whale safaris year-round, life in and by the sea, the fishing industry (historical and modern) Quay: 450 m/ m Shorex contact: Ssemjon Gerlitz ssemjon@discoverarctic.no Port contact: Port Manager Hugo Næss, hugo.naess@sortland.kommune.no 10 Narvik Unique Selling Points: Polar Park, The Ofoten Line Railway / Ore industry and World War II history Quay Fagernes : 250 m/15 m Quay Pier 1 : 140 m/15 m Shorex contact: Grethe Parker, post@cruisenarvik.no Port contact: Maritime Manager Øistein Kaarbø, ok@narvikhavn.no 8 Harstad Unique Selling Points: Viking, medieval and military history Quay City centre : 300 m/9.3 m Shorex contact: Gro Dagsvold, gro@ destinationharstad.no Port contact: Port Manager Ivar Hagenlund, ivar.hagenlund@harstad.kommune.no 6 Alta Unique Selling Points: Northern Lights, the Sami and Alta River Quay Terminalkaia: 265 m/10.2 m Quay Marinekaia: 63 m/12.5 m Shorex contact: Henriette B. Eilertsen, henriette@northadventure.no Port contact: Port Manager Arnt Trygve Nilsen, arnt.trygve.nilsen@altahavn.no 5 Hammerfest Unique Selling Points: The world s northernmost town, from Pomorian trade to energy town (5 energy sources), Meridian/land surveying history Quay 1: 220 m/9 m Quay 2: 120 m/8 m Quay 9: 300 m/12 m Shorex contact: Knut Arne Iversen, kai@hammerfest-turist.no Port contact: Port Manager Per-Åge Hansen, havnevakt@hammerfest.havn.no CRUICE NORTH

18 promonorge.no - Svolvær Welcome to Vesterålen and Sortland Vesterålen welcomes you year round to whale safaris under the midnight sun and winter fishing under the northern lights. Cruise port Longyearbyen, one of the world s most fascinating destinations N E The Blue City Trekking Icefjord Safari Guides with expertice Exciting excursions SPITSBERGEN TRAVEL, YOUR SHORE EXCURSIONS PROVIDER IN SPITSBERGEN Midnight Longyearbyen Sun Adventures is one of the world s Northern most lights fascinating adventures towns. Located at 78 degrees north, it is officially and the bird northernmost Safari town in Lively the world. fishing An unusual, villagesmodern and international tax free settlement Nature Sami just Culture 1300km and from the North Pole. Boat Longyearbyen and fishing welcomes trips visitors to our slice of the Arctic, a safe Salmon haven fishing in the otherwise harsh and Whale wild landscape, watchingwhere polar bears roam and the elements rule. With Boattrip our highly to Trollfjorden knowledgeable and Bird well-trained and seal guides, Safari Spitsbergen Travel has been a vital force in the Kayaking development Eagle Safari of Longyearbyen Museums as a Mecca for adventure. Be it hiking or Champagne tasting, a fjord safari in high-powered open boats or a guided visit to the prize-winning Svalbard Museum, Spitsbergen Travel ensure that your guests have the opportunity to experience all this unique town has to offer. cruise@spitsbergentravel.no Tlf: x124mm-sortlandhavn-CruiseNetwork-febr2014.indd :28 Operating from the real ARCTIC HUB one contact point arctic logistics port agency year around 24/7 we embrace the challenge mail@pole-position.no Longyearbyen Svalbard & Jan Mayen islands 18 CRUICE NORTH CRUICE NORTH 2013

19 The region of opportunities Five years ago the cruise ports in Northern Norway and Svalbard made a decision to form a regional cruise network. By joining forces, they aimed to strengthen the individual ports. Harriet Willassen (Port of Tromsø) and Åse-Lill Barstad (Visit North Cape) are two of the people behind the regional cruise network. CRUISE NORTH MAGAZINE Both ports have more than 100 calls per year. Nearly 120,000 cruise passangers arrive every summer and slowly but surely a few in the winter too. However, it s still the case that only 15% of cruise traffic to Norway and just one percent of the total European cruise traffic sails up to Northern Norway and Svalbard. It s not really an exaggeration to say that the cruise industry has not quite discovered Northern Norway and Svalbard yet. In recent years there has been major focus on opportunities for turnaround ports in the north, where major airports with good capacity and adjacent ports play a key role. What will it take to gain market share? The trend is towards increasingly shorter cruises and, on the face of it, this is a disadvan tage for a region that requires a long voyage to reach. But if we manage to turn this disadvantage into an advantage, for example by facilitating turnaround operations in Northern Norway, then opportunities that weren t even dreamed of a few years ago will immediately open up, say Willassen and Barstad in agreement. By exploiting the time when passengers are being moved between cruise ships and aircraft, we can offer shore excursions in summer as well as winter. There is an abundance of opportunities to arrange overland trips by bus. This is something we hope the cruise lines will take advantage of in the future because we are convinced that this is a sensible way to go. Shorter cruises and even greater experiences is a win-win situation for the cruise line and the passenger. The proportion shorex sales aboard the cruise ships have dropped and this has provided a challenge for some of The Chair of the CNNS Board, Harriet Willassen, is the Marketing Manager of the Port of Tromsø. The Deputy Chair of the CNNS Board, Åse-Lill Barstad, is the Tourism Manager of Visit North Cape. the biggest destinations. The number of passengers is increasing and more passengers are going on tours. However, as a percentage of the number on board, sales are declining. How do you explain this decline in onboard sales, and what can the destinations do to meet this challenge? It has become cheaper to go on cruises and this attracts less affluent groups. Meanwhile, passengers are far more enlightened about existing offers than was the case earlier, but the economic development in key target markets has weakened. In order to meet this competition, it s a sensible strategy to get cruise lines, agents and destinations to cooperate more closely so they can offer packages that are not available for purchase in the same combinations elsewhere. The cruise lines and agents are looking for innovative shorex offers that differentiate the ports. Holland America Line, for instance, has stated that the shorex offers at the ports are too similar. What is CNNS doing to address this? CNNS has had a project aimed at developing new and better shorex offers, and we are now starting to see the results of this. Our destinations are CRUICE NORTH