By
Rebecca Gibson |
Cruise Norway member ports are set to welcome a record 1,887 cruise calls and three million day passengers in 2017, surpassing the previous 2013 record of 2.78 million visitors.
Cruise Norway attributes the 4.3% rise in cruise calls to the growth of the autumn and winter season, which has helped Norway to become a year-round destination. This year, there are 27 calls scheduled for October – a significant rise from two in 2016.
Winter destinations for 2017 include Alta, Bergen, Bodø, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansund, Narvik, Nordkapp (Honningsvåg), Molde, Åndalsnes, Stavanger, Tromsø, Trondheim, Sortland, and Ålesund.
“Norway has become an all-year-round cruise destination, with ships calling all 12 months of the year,” said Sandra Diana Bratland, managing director at Cruise Norway. “The June, July, and August peak season is stable, whereas the May and October shoulder seasons have seen a significant increase. We receive more and more enquiries from shipping companies looking to visit Norway during winter, and it is clear that the main attraction is the possibility of experiencing the Northern Lights.”
Norway’s main passenger source markets include the UK, US and Germany, followed by France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
“It is a market dominated by British tourists, but this year there are also three scheduled visits from AIDA Cruises carrying German passengers,” said Bratland. “Norway is a popular travel destination among Germans in general, and Germany is a market we believe offer great opportunities in terms of winter cruises to Norway.”