These Were Norway’s Biggest Travel Stories Of 2019

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Questions over cruises, overtourism on the hiking trails, an airline clinging on to life, and a new capital of culture. There’s been plenty going on in the world of travel in Norway in 2019.

The future of cruising in the north and in the fjords
In March, the world watched on as the Viking Sky cruise ship suffered engine problems in stormy weather off the coast of Norway. Hundreds of people were evacuated by helicopter before the ship’s power was restored and it sailed to safety.

In the weeks following the accident, serious questions were asked about the future of cruising, in particular in the Arctic region. With a boom in new offerings launched this year, Arctic tourism moved from niche expeditions into the mainstream. Critics point to the Viking Sky incident when highlighting potential problems. The rapid response of Norwegian rescue authorities was praised. However, search and rescue operations would not to be as effective in Arctic waters hundreds of miles away from land.

In other cruise news, the Norwegian parliament voted to make the world famous fjords emissions-free by 2026. Battery and hybrid technologies are already used to power some of the passenger ferries on the most popular fjords. How large cruise ship operators will meet the demands of the regulations remains to be seen.

Hiking opportunities are one of the biggest tourism draws to Norway, but the record numbers are beginning to cause problems. Pulpit Rock—or Preikestolen in Norwegian—drew a record 309,956 visitors in the summer season, but not everyone is happy with the increasing crowds. By the second week of July, there had already been more rescue operations on the trail than in the whole of 2018.
Source: https://www.forbes.com

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