OSLO: Norway has continued to develop as a year-round cruise destination in 2014, passenger numbers are due to decrease by 4% and cruise call by 15% in 2015.
According to figures from Innovation Norway, by December 2014, a total of 1,701 calls and 2.6 million a day visitors had been scheduled to call at the country’s ports next year.
Around 2.7 million day visitors called at Cruise Norway’s member ports in 2014 during 2,000 cruise ship calls.
Cruise Norway Director Sandra Bratland in a written statement said that they are particularly pleased to see Norway develop as an all-year cruise destination as there is continuing interest in winter cruising and the search for the Northern Lights.
Bratland also commended visiting cruise lines for their work to help reduce harmful emissions when visiting the country.
“Cruise Norway is very happy with the many positive measures cruise lines now have underway to decrease emissions and the industry’s environmental footprint in the next few years,” said Bratland. “Huge amounts are being used to install scrubbers on existing ships, while the 33 ships under construction are bursting with installations that aim to make this important part of tourism even cleaner.”
Although Bratland highlighted that providing shore power to cruise ships in Norwegian ports is not financially sustainable as it requires huge investments and construction work in the ports, she said: “Norway focus on international tourists with great emphasis on fjords, mountains and pure nature. It is therefore of great importance that the cruise lines follow up with good measures, as we see is being done now.”
