Ever since the Arctic summer season began on Svalbard in May, numerous ships and their passengers have been sailing on and around the archipelago. And what is common in sports can also be applied to tourism, namely a mid-season analysis. And this turns out to be rather mixed
Just to be clear from the start: This article is not intended to be a reckoning with Arctic tourism and its representatives, nor a praise song on the matter, certain companies, organizations or individuals. Rather, it is intended to offer a sober and factual look at the course of the summer season on the Norwegian-administered archipelago so far, beyond the polemics about the sense and nonsense of Arctic tourism. This has been the subject of such heated debate in the run-up to the season that it could easily be cited as the reason for the high temperatures on Svalbard at the beginning of the season.
In what is actually a high Arctic archipelago, temperatures in May and June were above the monthly average on 19 days each. On social media, images were regularly posted that, thanks to bright sunshine and lots of vegetation, could just as easily have come from any area of the Alps, had it not been for the ice floes, large glacial cliffs and Arctic animals that featured in the photos. Particularly frequently walruses, reindeers, and polar foxes appeared. But whales and of course polar bears also made their rounds through Facebook, Instagram and the other channels.
These pictures and the statements and reports of passengers, guides and ship crews suggest that in terms of experiences, the course of the summer season so far has met or perhaps even exceeded expectations. This is despite the initial concerns of various tourism representatives who had complained about overly strict regulatory measures on the part of the authorities, such as the closure of certain regions or the 500-meter minimum distance to polar bears and a safety distance of 300 meters to bird colonies.
Unfortunately, however, not all vessels complied with the regulations put in place by the authorities as protective measures against disturbances. According to a Sysselmestern report from the beginning of July, several cases of trespassing, non-compliance with minimum distances and intrusion into protective reserves are being investigated. Speaking to the local newspaper Svalbardposten, the police chief in charge, Sten Olav Breidli, stated, “We are talking about different types of ships used for cruises, by the tourism industry and for research.” He further stated that several offenses are being investigated for some ships. According to him, the reports of the offenses came from observations of the local population as well as from the authorities’ own observations.
The incidents, should they prove to be actual violations of the law, would only provide further arguments for proponents of stricter regulations to protect nature. There had been much discussion about this even before the season began. One of the main arguments used by proponents was the increasing numbers of ship passengers. Before the start of the season, figures of up to 75,000 ship passengers for this season were circulating. This caused excitement among the authorities and also certain service providers such as the hospital in Longyearbyen. But halfway through the season, it turns out that this figure was overestimated. The Svalbard Cruise Forum, which was founded at the beginning of the year, and its director Eva Britt Kornfeldt told press that they had expected 67,000 passengers at the beginning of the season, but that this number would not be met. According to their information, the cruises are on average less than 80 percent full
This is all the more surprising considering the 2022/23 Antarctic season, which had provided a new high (and much criticism) with over 105,000 passengers. Travel industry experts point to a variety of factors as reasons for the lower-than-expected load factor. This includes excessive availability due to the increasing number of operators and ships looking to secure a piece of the polar cruise pie. On the other hand, travel agents and agencies reported increased interest in cruises and expedition tours.
On Svalbard, these two industries share passenger numbers by a ratio of about 60:35, with the remainder being smaller yachts. The Svalbard Cruise Forum had spoken at the beginning of about 41,000 cruise passengers and 26,000 expedition travelers.
Although fewer passengers have come to Longyearbyen so far than anticipated, concerns expressed by representatives of the health care industry in Longyearbyen back in the spring have come true. “We don’t notice any less pressure on the hospital,” explains the head of the health department at Sysselmesteren, Kristin Furu Grøtting The management there speaks of a crisis caused by too many people bringing health problems. “Many of the patients from the ships are very old and have an amazing number of pre-existing conditions. So once they get sick, they do very badly,” chief physician Ole Tveiten tells Svalbardposten in an interview.
Kristin Furu Grøtting goes on to say that many of the passengers, as well as the ship’s doctors and operators, are not aware of the hospital’s special situation. The situation has improved somewhat thanks to cooperation with AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators) and the Svalbard Cruise Forum. But in the long term, they see the limit of 750 passengers per ship as a better solution, both are convinced.
The analysis of the first half shows that Svalbard can still shine and convince in the light of the midnight sun thanks to its natural beauty (and the current weather). However, the problems that have already come to light are unlikely to disappear in the second half and will continue to occupy the players long after the season is over.
Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal
Featured image: Webcam Port Longyearbyen
More about this topic
