Norwegian cruise ports invest in their future

Norwegian folk gathered in London, UK earlier this week for Norway Day. For the past nine years, this annual event has connected Cruise Norway members with cruise line executives and members of the trade press, providing us all with an opportunity to get to know the people and places that are delighting cruise passengers as they travel along the Norwegian coastline and deep into the famous fjords.

With 2016 calls up by 4.3%, passengers up by 13.5% and bullish forecasting for 2017, there was a notable air of pride in the room as the audience happily consumed a marathon set of 28 nine-minute presentations, all in one day. But the Norwegians are not done yet, with a continuously improving product and with east-Mediterranean volumes sadly stifled by a variety of issues, they sense further growth in the years to come. And, if reported passenger satisfaction statistics and the important shore excursions uptake numbers are accurate and sustainable, cruise lines will likely continue to invest increased tonnage along the Norwegian coast long after the inevitable Mediterranean bounce-back.

Port improvement projects throughout the country highlight the seriousness of Norway’s cruise industry ambitions, with almost a third of the ports in attendance describing investment projects that are either in planning, pending funding or underway. These include:

• Alta – new pier opening in 2018
• Bodø – pier extended to increase allowable drafts
• Fredrikstad – planning a fifth quay that will be completed in 2020
• Gerainger – plans in place for a new pier to be completed for 2020
• Harstad – planning to deepen pier depths by 2021 to accommodate larger ships and develop the waterfront
• Kristiansand – new pier will be completed on 31 May 2017
• North Cape – new Seawalk XT will be operational from 1 June 2017
• Svalbard – seeking funding and permissions for a new terminal facility, expected in 2022
• Molde – building new offices and incorporating a new crew room facility.

Without exception, ports, tourist boards, shore excursion providers and other local businesses are collaborating in every destination to deliver new and improved excursions for passengers. More impressively, this is a country that has (perhaps inadvertently) engendered a sense of team spirit among apparently competitive destinations. They work together to amplify the natural differentiation and sustain high levels of passenger interest and engagement in each port of call. The Cruise Norway family continues to grow as other Norwegian ports and destinations enter the cruise market and/or now see the value in participating in this influential association.