CRUICE NORTH 2015
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to experience “nothing”. There are not
too many places left where urbanites can
experience that. Nothing. Complete silence
and nothing to see apart from beautiful
scenery. We can also offer an exciting
combination of urban and wilderness.
Northern Norway and Svalbard is genuinely
Powered by Nature!
The two ports you represent attract 55%
of the traffic to Northern Norway and
Svalbard? Secretly, should you wish that
this proportion was slightly lower to the
advantage of the many small cruise ports
in the north?
“Yes and no. It would be beneficial for the
largest ports if the calls were spread over
several days. But we would prefer that
the overall traffic to Northern Norway
and Svalbard increases, and that to the
greatest extent possible this increase
goes to the many smaller ports we have
in the north. Unfortunately, many of the
cruise ships are too big for the smallest
ports, but we would like to see medium-
sized and smaller cruise ships calling at
ports which they have not traditionally
used. Seven ports have fewer than 30
calls a year, and among these we find
many hidden treasures. The small ports
must be allowed to be small and offer
their unique experiences. CNNS has
worked quite consciously to ensure that
each port differentiates itself through
its history, culture and industry. That’s
how we can demonstrate our diversity.
We also have a strong desire that more
cruise ships will call at all the ports in the
evening and overnight. In a region where
we have daylight 24h from May to August,
you don’t need to think 9 to 5 when you’re
planning your itineraries ...”
In 2015 Costa will sail with Costa
neoRomantica to Lofoten, a voyage she
has made many times before. The cruise
ship will then call at Bodø, Narvik and
Sortland (Vesterålen), all of which are
ports located within a compact area and
which Costa has not called at previously.
This provides good opportunities for
slow cruising with ample time for the
passengers and low fuel costs for the
cruise line. A win-win situation like this
must be good news, especially consid-
ering that all seven cruises are sold out?
“Absolutely, and this is at the very core
of our objective when CNNS was estab-
lished in 2011. Several ports now get
opportunities to present unique and exotic
experiences. Bodø has an exciting history
from The Cold War, Narvik was the scene
of important events during World War II
and Sortland wants to profile itself on the
marine life and fishing and aquaculture
industries. Everyone’s heard of Norwegian
salmon. Cruise passengers now have the
opportunity to experience modern salmon
farming. We believe what Costa is doing in
2015 is a smart solution this will surely be
copied by other cruise lines.
The cruise lines are looking for new
destinations. Are Murmansk and
Arkhangelsk attractive enough? After all,
such destinations would lead to increased
cruise traffic along the Norwegian coast
since all the cruise ships must sail past
our beautiful coast to get there?
“Yes, both destinations are exciting, as
are the opportunities in the White Sea.
Russia is an exciting country, which we
as neighbours really know too little about.
In addition, it will be exciting for cruise
passengers to experience the Solovetsky
Islands, which certainly represents a
once-in-a-lifetime experience. CNNS has
taken the initiative to organise a FAM
trip to Arkhangelsk, which this serves
as a signal to the cruise lines that this
alternative is something that they should
consider. When you combine this with
the turnaround operations in Northern
Norway, it offers a completely a new and
exotic opportunity for cruising.”
Four years have now passed since CNNS
was established. Are you satisfied with
what has been achieved so far?
“We believe that the cooperation within
CNNS has shown results within a
relatively short space of time. Northern
Norway & Svalbard has emerged as a
cruise region and is now in a stronger
position in terms of both products and
market. Our members are working to
make each other better, and we have
a common channel for reaching out to
the industry. Cooperation with Cruise
Norway is also important for us. Norway’s
spearhead does a solid job, which we
support actively. We believe it’s right to
focus on regions and not just on destina-
tions. The most important thing is that
the unique history, culture and industry of
our region is communicated better, and
that the cruise lines get the differentiated
shorex offers they have expressed a
desire for.”
Photo: Statsbygg
