By
Alex Smith |
Cruise Norway hosted a familiarisation (FAM) trip to the Norwegian fjords in October, giving cruise executives the chance to experience the attractions in Norway’s busiest cruise destination.
The trip began in Stavanger on 13 October, taking cruise executives and other invited guests to the city of Haugeseund and along Hardangerfjord with stops in Ulvik, Rosendal and Eidfjord. The group then travelled to Flåm and Nordfjordeid, before disembarking in Bergen on 18 October.
Several of the ports on the route are currently experiencing an increase in interest from cruise lines, after an investment of £25 million (US$32 million) in local attractions. Eidfjord has a total of 90 calls scheduled for this year, with a further 127 expected for next year. As the village only allows a maximum of two ships per day, 21 days in 2020 are fully booked, with the nearby ports of Ulvik and Rosendal recommended as alternative destinations on those days.
From 1 January 2020, Eidfjord will introduce tariffs based upon the Environmental Port Index system, placing a surcharge of up to 100% on ships that are negatively impacting the environment. More environmentally friendly vessels will be rewarded with a tariff reduction of up to 20%.