Manumina Documents the Bond Between Greenlandic Hunters and Sled Dogs: “They Had to Be Loved Like Humans” Nuuk, Greenland (High North News): Researcher Manumina Lund Jensen (49) has spent the last 8 years studying the sled dog culture in Greenland. Among her most fascinating finds are the stories of sled dogs being cross-bred with Arctic wolves in order to make better polar bear hunters.
The Municipal Crisis: I Had to Go to Finland to Find a Happy Mayor Comment: He had long been left in my notebook, the mayor of Finnish Sodankylä. Time and again, he lost out to comments on more critical conditions in the North. But he didn't give up. Like a blister, he called for my attention.
Managing Cruise Volume at Nordic Cruise Destinations Op-ed: Cruise destinations take a more active role in managing growing cruise tourism, four researchers write in this op-ed.
Norway’s Arctic University Museum to Be Located in Tromsø City Centre "This is the starting point for a brand new museum building which will have great significance for Tromsø as a knowledge city," says Oddmund Hoel, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education.
Tourism Tax in Longyearbyen for Comment The Norwegian Minister of Industry, Cecilie Myrseth (Labor), is launching a visitor's tax for Longyearbyen. The next phase it to consider how this can be expanded to apply to cruise tourists as well.
Tourists Visit the Arctic on Science Cruises: A Risk of Greenwashing Arctic Tourism? To diversify tourist experiences in the Arctic, many operators now offer science cruises where tourists can participate in polar expeditions. However, this emerging trend offers some challenges regarding sustainable tourism and the protection of vulnerable environments. Researcher Elina Hutton says that nearly all cruise tourism operators selling citizen science activities are greenwashing.
Arctic Tourism Destinations: From Wilderness to Disneyland Bodø (High North News): Arctic tourism destinations develop to match the imagined idea of their visitors, an idea often derived from social media. This leads to a ‘Disneyfication’ of Arctic destinations, oftentimes at the cost of local people and places’ needs.
Norway Closes Border To Russian Tourists Russian citizens will be denied entry to Norway if they travel for tourist visits or other non-essential purposes, states the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The change will come into force on May 29th.
New Report on Svalbard’s Tolerance Limit: Sustainable Destination by 2025 A new report of Svalbard's tolerance limit uncovers knowledge gaps around the cruise industry's emissions. "The government must strengthen its efforts in gathering data on greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental effect of sea-based tourism, a task tourism cannot handle alone," says the leader of Visit Svalbard, Ronny Brunvoll.
A Challenging Year for Svalbard Tourism The Svalbard tourism industry leaves behind a challenging year of decreasing visitors, unclear regulatory processes, the climate crisis, and a war that is also affecting the Arctic.
Russia to Cut Coal Production on Svalbard by 80 000 Tonnes by 2032 The yearly coal production in Barentsburg is planned to be reduced from 120 000 to 40 000 tonnes, according to the Russian Minister of the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.
Russia on Svalbard: Stepping Down on Coal, Investing More in Tourism Russia's company on Svalbard, Trust Arktikugol, will further scale back coal production – and develop the tourism industry with a new museum complex, according to Russia's Minister of the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.
Svalbard Tourism Management and Policy Gaps A recent review of Svalbard tourism regulations reveals gaps and conflicting interests.
Lava Flows in Reykjavík for the First Time in Almost 5000 Years Reykjavik has not experienced lava flows since the Elliðaárdalur lava field was formed some 4800 years ago. But now visitors of all ages can enjoy red-hot molten lava in a safe environment by visiting Lava Show's new experience.
Record Visitation Expected for Winter Tourism in Northern Finland Tourism in Finnish Lapland is expected to increase significantly this winter. The number of visitors from Europe, USA, and South-Asia is rising.
Expedition Vessel Ran Aground in Spitsbergen The expedition vessel MS Virgo with 20 persons onboard has ran aground in Fuglefjorden on northwestern Spitsbergen in Svalbard. No one is hurt, however, the ship leaks fuel.
Canada Prepares Increased Cruise Traffic Due to Climate Change After a nearly two-year standstill, cruise ships will be returning to the Canadian Arctic, bringing both opportunity and concern.
Canada Prepares Increased Cruise Traffic Due to Climate Change After a nearly two-year standstill, cruise ships will be returning to the Canadian Arctic, bringing both opportunity and concern.
Number Of Tourists to Iceland Likely To Double in 2022 According to Islandsbanki, the number of tourists in Iceland is likely to increase during next year.
Anchorage Airport Shows Promising Passenger Numbers The Covid-19 pandemic was difficult for Alaska’s tourism industry; however, 2021 could provide hope as the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport announced an uptick of 877,351 more passengers this summer compared to 2020.
Head of Visit Iceland: Thanks the Government for the Survival of Tourism “We have had a somewhat normal life despite the pandemic. There was never a complete lockdown or total restrictions and closed borders", says Head of Visit Iceland Sigrídur Dogg Gudmundsdottir about how Iceland has handled the pandemic.
Professor Argues Tourists Must Meet Demands: “Tourism Must Take Part in Local Traditions and Culture” Arctic societies want and need tourism. “But we must place demands on the tourist industry so that we do not end up with a Canary Islands logic in which tourists believe they are entitled at the expense of local culture, nature and traditions”, argues Professor Frank Lindberg at Nord University.
«No Restrictions on Returning to Svalbard Once Business Resumes» Svalbard Hotel Manager Stein-Ove Johannessen says foreign staff are positive to the government-proposed scheme for their going home, given that they are not excluded from returning. According to the Ministry of Justice, there are no restrictions for non-EU/EEA citizens who wish to return at a later stage.
Fears Consequences for Tourism if Foreign Workers are Sent Away from Svalbard In its draft for a new corona crisis package, the Norwegian government proposes to spend money on sending home foreign workers in Longyearbyen. Without this group, it will be harder for the local tourist industry to manage, argues Bjørn Johansen of the regional labor union LO Troms and Finnmark.
An Arctic Prison Commentary: There are a lot of victims to the Corona virus. Some of them are stuck on a polar islet just south of the North Pole. For decades, they have contributed to the ever-ongoing transformation of Longyerbyen. Now, they have received a severance package from the Norwegian state and been told to go home.
French Cruise Ship Set to Travel to North Pole in 2021 The Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first icebreaking cruise ship, is scheduled to travel to the North Pole in 2021. While the vessel uses cleaner natural gas and is built to a Polar Class 2 standard, questions surrounding passenger safety and environmental impact remain.
Norwegian Arctic Coastal Waters Among Most Dangerous Shipping safety experts have identified the waters of Arctic coastal Northern Norway and Svalbard as some of the region’s most dangerous environments for maritime activity. As shipping traffic across the polar north continues to increase so does the likelihood for accidents and emergencies.
Arctic Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Canada’s Northwest Passage The Russian-flagged passenger ship Akademik Ioffe ran aground along Canada’s Arctic Northwest Passage with 162 people aboard early on Friday, August 24th.
