Foreword
This report is a result of a collaborative effort among researchers and the key stakeholders in cruise destination Honningsvåg in relation to development of Arctic tourism development with a specific focus on cruise tourism development. This report represents a result of the conversations and observations that were made possible due the collective involvement from all the involved in the process of welcoming cruise tourists into the port of Honningsvåg. The dialog that we had throughout the period for this research project have allowed us to collect even the perspectives that look critically upon the results of recent cruise tourism development. As researchers we had to stay neutral, and this report is our attempt to provide a base for the continued dialog in relation to both benefits and the downsides of this type of tourism development.
This report represents a summary of both key actors personal and official viewpoints, our field observations, lived experiences, conversations with the strangers down by the harbor, at the local grocery store, pub, hiking trail, even our experiences in reaching the geographical North Cape, but also our excursions both by bus, car and as part of the cruise arrangements. All these experiences combined gave us possibility to form a more comprehensive appreciation and understanding of challenges created by the everyday development both before, during and after the large cruise groups arrival to the harbor.
Our gratitude is immense towards those who spent their time to tell us their stories and their understanding of the past, present and the future for this destination. As it is always in life, we could together understand that there are several futures and alternative paths to the better development. It would be difficult for us to form this understanding without having a firsthand experience and learning from experts, inhabitants and those actors who care a lot about Magerøya and what it has to offer. We would like to thank all of you for providing us with the possibility to borrow your stories and perspective to ground our understanding of this place and to be able to present it in this publication.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the financial support we received from the Research Council of Norway to the project Sustainable Arctic cruise tourism communities: From practice to governance (grant number 301540) with the Nord University as a lead partner, other collaboration partners include: Nordland Research Institute, Dalarna University, Aalborg University, Uppsala University and the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre.
We hope that this research publication will become useful for those who are interested in similar questions related to the ongoing development of tourism in Arctic destinations. This publication can be useful for different purposes, but mostly in relation to the decision-making process in tourism industry both for practitioners and municipal decision-makers.
With sincere appreciation,
Albina Pashkevich and Hindertje Hoarau-Heemstra