Cruise Destination ALTA: practices, challenges and opportunities

Cruise tourism imposes social and environmental burdens on local communities, including challenges related to waste management, CO2 emissions, air and water pollution in harbors, increased traffic, and environmental degradation. Alta, like other destinations, experiences these impacts as cruise tourism activities generate additional waste that needs to be managed locally, put pressure on vulnerable areas such as Komsa Mountain, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through cruise ships in the harbor and the transportation of tourists by buses.

The growth of cruise tourism in Alta appears to be constrained by the capacity of providers to deliver high-quality products and the availability of infrastructure to accommodate and distribute cruise guests. According to one informant, the optimal number of daily cruise visitors that Alta can comfortably handle ranges between 2000 and 2500 individuals. These visitors can arrive on smaller expedition vessels or conventional cruise ships. The destination acknowledges that unrestricted growth of cruise tourism is not feasible. However, by developing new infrastructure such as a cruise quay, the destination facilitates the expansion of cruise tourism, potentially intensifying conflicts with other types of tourism due to resource scarcity within the destination.

Providers experience high levels of activity during the months when Alta receives a significant number of cruise guests. Consequently, working conditions are a critical aspect to consider in discussions of social sustainability. It is important to assess the volume of tourists visiting Alta during the winter months and the lead time provided for planning purposes, including factors like overtime scheduling. Tourism providers struggle to recruit and retain employees due to these challenges, and during the pandemic, many individuals working in the tourism sector sought alternative employment, resulting in a loss of experience within the industry. During the period of restarting tourism, the pressure on companies grew even more substantial, as they not only needed to find new employees but also educate and train them in product delivery.

The creation of value and opportunities within the destination is not evenly distributed. A small group of larger, more established providers profit the most from cruise tourism in Alta. It is challenging for smaller businesses, particularly newly established ones, to sell their products to the cruise industry. Access to the cruise market is typically facilitated through an incoming tour operator responsible for quality assurance for cruise operators. Knowledge of the cruise market is crucial for successfully delivering to cruise tourism. However, due to the business model involving multiple value-adding intermediaries between the seller and the buyer, there is often a disparity between what tourists pay and what providers receive. For instance, when cruise guests purchase an experience for 800 NOK, the provider may only receive 150 NOK from it. As a result, it is only profitable for providers to sell to the cruise industry when they can offer standardized products produced in large quantities. This poses a challenge for lifestyle entrepreneurs operating in Arctic communities, as they prioritize delivering high-quality, customized products that require substantial resources. Offering lower-quality mass-produced products is neither rewarding nor appealing to them.

The commercialization of local heritage and culture represents another social issue associated with cruise tourism. When cruise tourists have limited time in the destination, the constraints of time pressure and predetermined schedules prevent genuine connections between providers and guests. There is insufficient time to share local stories, engage in meaningful dialogue, and establish connections with the local community, resulting in the loss of social value that tourism can offer.