No. 1 - 2007
Cruise Norway is a marketing company. We concentrate our activities on the international cruise market, coordinating and presenting information about Norwegian harbours and cruise destinations. Cruise Norway wishes to provide you with a good knowledge of Norway.
Our aim is to maintain and increase the number of cruise passengers and cruise calls to Norway in the years to come. We will provide you with material about unique attractions in Norway, thereby increasing the competitiveness of your cruise programme and promoting sales opportunities.
Cruise Norway will encourage its business partners to engage in active product development. In cooperating with us, you will also influence developments in line with your own interests and requirements.
This is the first newsletter from Cruise Norway, and our aim is to distribute Cruise Norway News 4 to 6 times a year and provide you with new information from our members, ports and destinations.
Wenche Nygård Eeg was appointed Managing Director of Cruise Norway this year and she took up her position in January. You can contact Cruise Norway at Wenche`s email address: wenche@cruise-norway.no
NOX Status
This year the Norwegian government introduced a Norwegian tax on emissions of NOx. Exemptions from the tax are vessels in direct traffic between Norwegian and foreign ports. Cruise Norway and co-operating members protested against the tax, but there seems no going back for the government.
The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry has proposed the establishment of an NOx fund, and we are still waiting for the Department of the Environment to approve this solution. Hopefully, we will receive good news in the third quarter. A Fund solution will reduce the NOx tax from Kr 15 to Kr 3-5 per kilo Nox.
Environmental issues in the cruise industry
On the initiative of Innovation Norway, Horwath Consulting has written a memo on the most important environmental aspects to be considered in the further development of the cruise industry in Norway.
The report can be downloaded from Cruise Norway's homepage: http://www.cruise-norway.no/
Cruise Norway web
Cruise Norway is improving its website with new relevant information such as trade news, a Newsletter and News feed at: www.cruise-norway.no
Cruise lines on Fam-trip (site-inspection) to explore parts of Fjord-Norway
The Cruise destinations Ålesund, Geiranger, Olden/Nordfjord and Bergen arranged an on-site inspection in August. All participants found this to be of great value and described Norwegian nature as spectacular, breathtaking and amazing.
Photo: At rear: Sergio - Oceania cruises, Timothy - Holland America Line, Elisabeth - Saga Adventure, Geir - destination Geiranger, Sidsel - destination Ålesund, Ingrid - Saga, Rick - NCL. In front: Samantha - Carnival UK and Bente - destination Ålesund
Seatrade Hamburg 2007
Cruise Norway will be attending Seatrade Hamburg where you will find us at stand 180. Please feel free to visit our participating cruise destinations: Oslo, Eidfjord-Hardangerfjord, Bergen, Stranda-Geirangerfjord, Ålesund, Molde & Åndalsnes, Narvik, Tromsø, Arctic Europe (North Cape and Alta) and European Cruise Service. We are very much looking forward meeting you there.
News from participating cruise destinations
Flåm - The Ultimate Cruise Destination
Preben Kaspersen (48) is new General Manager of Flåm Utvikling AS.
Preben has international experience from all areas of the tourism sector since 1994, having held positions such as Development Manager for the National Tourist Board of Greenland (1994-1998) and Destination Manager Denmark (1998-2000)
His main focus in the coming years may be summarised as follows:
Ensure that the Flåm Railway maintains its position as one of Scandinavia's most spectacular and authentic international top attractions. The status enjoyed by the Nærøy Fjord status on UNESCO´s world heritage list in 2005 has resulted in an increased international focus on the area, cementing the area with two attractions of high international standard. In order to tap this increasing international demand, there is a stronger focus on extending the shoulder and winter season in general for Visit Flåm, with the long term goal of developing the area into a year-around destination. To support this development, long-term tourism infrastructure investments are planned including a new Cable Car. www.visitflam.com
Bergen - The Gateway to the Fjords of Norway
New views from the top
A trip to the top of Mount Fløyen on the Fløibanen funicular is a highlight of any visit to Bergen.
From the mountaintop, 320 meters above sea level, visitors have a unique perspective of the varying landscapes of Bergen and the surrounding area; they can savor the peace and quiet of the
mountains, walk or hike on well-marked trails, enjoy a picnic or a full meal and truly relax. A completely new viewing platform was opened this summer, providing more space for visitors and offering even more spectacular view of Bergen. And soon there will be even more for visitors to experience on "Bergen?s roof".
Plans were recently unveiled for an exciting new visitors' center on top of Mount Fløyen. Expected to open in 2010, this ambitious new development is not merely a building, but an "experience path" that visitors can follow and explore while enjoying the most spectacular views of Bergen, the fjords, the sea and the surrounding islands. www.visitbergen.com
Bergen host port for the tall ships`races 2008
In 2008, the tall ships will race between Liverpool, Måløy, Bergen and Den Helder. Bergen is the welcoming city after the "Cruise-in-Company" leg and the starting port for the last leg to Den Helder. In the period 9 - 12 August 2008 Bergen will again be an experience of a lifetime for the crews, a fabulous background for media coverage and the perfect setting for sponsor activities.
www.tallshipsracesbergen.no
Eidfjord - Hardangerfjord - The Fjord and Mountain Adventure
Fjord, mountain & waterfalls, all within 30 minutes of Eidfjord!
New in Eidfjord this season is the daily fjord cruise with TIDE Vøringen.
This is a 2-hour cruise with 2 alternatives. Cruise 1 takes you to Simadal and drops you off by the Sima Power Plant where you go for a 1-hour guided tour of the plant. Afterwards the boat picks you up and returns to Eidfjord. Cruise 2 takes you on a fjord cruise to Osa fjord.
This has been a great success this year and will continue next year.
Also new this year is a second Troll train. As the original train runs in the Maabo Valley, the new train runs for guided tours in the village of Eidfjord during cruise calls, where the areas visited include the Viking burial grounds and the medieval church from 1309. This has been a very popular activity for our cruise guests.
Restaurant Hardangerfjord at Quality Hotel & Resort Vøringfoss.
This year they are one of 14 businesses in Hordaland which are part of a project called "Taste of the coast", focusing on quality and a knowledge of seafood.
The object is to offer the guests a unique seafood experience while at the same time telling them something about the background of the food. www.visiteidfjord.no
Lofoten - The Magical Islands
Golfing in the Midnight Sun at beautiful Lofoten Golf
From mid-May to early August you can play golf all day and all night. As the only golf course in the world, we offer 24 hours' daylight for over two months of the year. You can play 144 holes in 24 hours - if you can manage to stay awake, that is!
This course is a typical links course beautifully located by the open sea, facing the north at a latitude of 68º north. It is a challenging and enjoyable quality course where the sea is an integral part of 8 of the 9 holes. The location and the good quality have made the course world famous, also after several articles in different golf magazines and newspapers
In 2005 it was on the front page of New York Times Travel supplement. The 3-page article can still be read at www.newyorktimes.com ? with an audio slide show. www.visitlofoten.com
Oslo - The Viking Capital of Norway
Oslo experienced a new record cruise season in 2006 with 206 233 passengers from 156 visiting ships (calls up 7.6% and passengers up 10.8% from 2005).
2007 looks like being an "in-between year" for Oslo. According to the Port of Oslo's list of calls, 139 cruise vessels will call at Oslo this summer. The decrease in calls is probably due to several factors, but the insolvency of Holiday Cruises (Lili Marleen and Mona Lisa made 12 calls at Oslo in 2006) is one of the main reasons why Oslo has fewer calls this season.
One of the highlights this season will be the Christmas calls in December. Cunard's Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II, P&O's Artemis and Fred.Olsen's Black Watch have all extended their season in the Nordic waters and will call at Oslo in December. We will do our utmost to give both passengers and crew an unforgettable winter experience in Oslo! Bookings for 2008 look fairly good. 137 cruise ships have already announced that they will be arriving in Oslo next year.
www.visitoslo.com
