Cruise Destination Honningsvåg: Community care for cruise

North Cape (Nordkapp) is a small municipality on the Northern Norwegian Island of Mageroya with an official administrative centre and largest population residing in Honningsvåg (2947 inhabitants as of 2022). Other settlements on the island include Gjesvær, Kåfjord, Kamoyvaer, Kjelvik, Nordvågen, Repvåg, Skarsvåg and Valan. The island is connected to the Norwegian mainland by a series of tunnels built between 1993 and 1999 (the longest being the North Cape Tunnel, which stretches 6,875 km and reaches a depth of 212 meters below sea level). The principal port and an airport are located in Honningsvåg. Traditionally, the island’s economy used to rely on year-round fisheries and reindeer herding during the summer. Since the late 1950s, the main tourist attraction in the region, drawing both land-based and cruise tourism activities, has been the North Cape. The construction of the road to the North Cape plateau, the establishment of the visitor’s centre, and the installation of the landmark representing Europe’s most northernmost point on the plateau solidified its status as a tourism hotspot. However, due to severe weather conditions during the winter months, cruise activity is limited to the coastal steamer Hurtigruten. Annually, approximately 200,000 tourists visit the North Cape during the summer season. These visitors arrive by tour busses, with private cars, caravans and campers, bicycles, or cruise ships. International cruise companies and Hurtigruten both operate in the destination. The popularity of the destination has increased at an average annual growth of 7% (REF). According to our informants, half of the tourism flow to the North Cape is comprised of cruise passengers. Undoubtedly, cruise tourism plays a significant role in the region’s economy.

Cruise tourism represents a small portion of overall tourism traffic in Norway, but Norway´s share of international cruise tourism (3%) exceeds that of Norwegian land-based tourism (0,4%). In 2021, cruise tourism experiences a significant decline, with 98% reduction compared to 2019. However, there had been an 11% growth in this number from 2018 in Norway. Cruise ships often visit multiple destinations, resulting in approximately 3,3-million-day visits to Norwegian harbours. Germany is the largest market for Norwegian tourism, both for land-based and cruise tourism. In 2019, 37% of all cruise passengers visiting Norway were German. British and American tourists also represent substantial markets, with these three nationalities accounting 72% of all cruise passengers to Norway. In 2018, this number stood at 68%. A cruise survey conducted by Innovation Norway in the summer of 2019 revealed that 57% of the cruise guests considered experiencing Norway as important, while for 39% of the guests, the primary goal was to enjoy the cruise experience.

The accessibility of the island during the winter season varies considerably due to the challenging weather conditions. The only year-round public coastal passenger operator is Hurtigruten, which provides maritime transportation and offers visitors an opportunity to experience the region during the winter season through activities such as snow shoeing, snowmobile safaris, and ice fishing. Another coastal passenger and freight transportation company, Havila, also operates a similar route, resulting in increased competition for space and human resources of the service industry in the area. However, Magerøya primarily caters to cruise passengers during the summer months of June to August, as the climate can be challenging for large-scale winter cruise tourism. Nonetheless, there are indications of an extended tourist season, encompassing the shoulder months of April-May and September-October. Hosting tourists and providing experiences for an extended period poses challenges for operators in terms of their human resources. Guides and other hospitality workers, traditionally arrive on the island during the peak summer period, but extending the season means that staff would be required to work there for a longer duration.

The harbour in Honningsvåg plays a crucial role in connecting the local society to the rest of the world, serving as a hub for cargo transport, local fishing vessels, fish processing, and supporting the tourism and passenger travel industry. It is the main harbour on the island and ranks as the 10^th largest in the country. Situated in the centre of Honningsvåg, the harbour provides convenient access for cruise passengers to explore the town on foot. The Hurtigruten coastal steamer uses another, smaller quay located closer to the fishing harbour. The fishing fleet of Honningsvåg utilizes smaller docks in a separate section of the harbour. On the opposite side of the harbour, in the fjord, there is a dedicated quay for crude oil and fuel, where container ships transporting these raw materials dock. This area is physically separated from other activities within the harbour.

Cruise tourism has a long history in Honningsvåg, and the village has been served by Hurtigruten, a traditional coastal cruise and transportation operator, since the 2000s. According to our informants, the arrival of cruise ships in town was a cause for celebration. The local community would welcome the visitors and take the opportunity to visit the ships and enjoy a cup of coffee at the floating café. Currently, Hurtigruten visits Honningsvåg twice a day, once on its northbound journey and once on its southbound journey. The northern route typically stays in Honningsvåg for approximately 4 hours, allowing passengers to visit the North Cape. Over the years, more and more operators have recognized the appeal of the North Cape as a destination, leading to an increase in the number and size of cruise ships arriving since the 1990s.

The most popular shore excursion on Magerøya is a visit to the North Cape plateau and its visitor centre. There are various transportation options available from Honningsvåg, including buses, bikes, walking, snowmobiles, cars, taxis and minibuses. The majority of cruise tourists opt for a bus trip organized by the cruise companies and facility owners. This package includes a bus ride to the North Cape and entrance to the visitor centre. The journey covers approximately 20 kilometres each way on a narrow, steep and winding road shared with bikers, hikers, cars and other busses. During the summer, buses and bus drivers are brought to the island specifically to transport tourists to the plateau. Buses booked through cruise agents are parked in a designated area in the harbour where other busses are not allowed. This means that local operators have to be stationed farther away from the harbour for departures to the North Cape.

One local operator offers transport to North Cape by minibus, along with a visit to a fishing village and the opportunity to enjoy King Crab. Another local provider, which operates year-round, provides regular bus services to the North Cape with or without entrance to the visitor centre. Their prices are lower, but the cruise agents prefer to use their own buses. The local company receives subsidies from the regional government to offer public transport between Honningsvåg and the North Cape. They primarily serve customers from Hurtigruten and cruise guests who have not pre-booked an excursion through the onboard agents. Tickets can be booked online or purchased on the bus if space is available. Land-based tourists also utilize these services for transportation to the plateau and entrance to the the visitor centre. Many bikers who have reached the North Cape choose to take this bus back to Honningsvåg. The local bus company operates according to the schedule of Hurtigruten and assures its customers that they will return to their boat on time.

The North Cape plateau is owed by the municipality and is publicly accessible. However, the Scandic group is responsible for the infrastructure built on the plateau and has developed facilities akin to an amusement park. These include a large parking area for tour buses, caravans and private cars. In the past, Scandic used to charge parking fees for access to the plateau. However, the municipality has intervened and argued that the land is public and accessible for free to anyone under the principle of “allemannsrett” (everyman’s right). This means that the areas around the building, including the Globe artwork that marks the North cape, are publicly accessible. Scandic continues to charge a fee for access to the café, souvenir shop, exhibition and museum housed within the building. The North Cape plateau serves as the primary destination for the majority of cruise passengers, as it represents the main objective of many cruises to this part of Northern Norway.

Every ship utilizing the harbour facilities in Honningsvåg is required to pay harbour fees to the Nordkapp Region Harbor IKS, a harbor company owned by Nordkapp municipality. The company is particularly interested in the high volumes of both commercial and cruise traffic to the harbour. Various cruise lines, including Viking, Costa, and others, make stops in Honningsvåg. These cruise ships are typically categorized as conventional, with passenger capacities ranging between 600 to nearly 5000 passengers. For example, the largest ship, Sky Princess (Princess Cruises), is scheduled to accommodate 4610 passengers in 2023, while the smallest Silver Dawn (Silversea), carries 691 passengers. Additionally, there are smaller expedition cruise vessels with the capacity ranging in between 100 and 400 passengers.

During peak summer days of 2022, the harbour hosted 134 ships, and this number is expected to increase to 184 ships in 2023 (Table 1). These ships either dock at one of the three cruise quays or anchor in the fjord and transport tourists to shore via tendering.

The majority of tourist traffic from the harbour in Honningsvåg goes directly by bus to the North Cape plateau and back. The bus parking is located just outside the harbour, within a short walking distance from the quays. The duration of this tour can vary between two and six hours, depending on the time available for tourists. Longer trips may include stops at other sites, like the village of Gjesvær or Kamøyvær. Over the past 25 years, additional nature-based and culture-based experiences have been developed in Honningsvåg and in other parts of the island. These include attractions like Artico Icebar, Destination 71degrees North, an art Gallery/Workshop in Kamøyvær, Sami-souvenir shop in the harbour and on the road to North Cape, bird and wildlife safaris in Gjesvær, fishing tourism including king crab safari either with the help of a rib boat or a bus transfer and hiking to explore the plant life on Magerøya. In the town of Honningsvåg, visitor can explore cultural and heritage attractions such as the fishing village, the local church, North Cape Museum, and an art gallery. A list over the main general and tourism stakeholders can be found in Table 2. Additionally, the local cultural society (Kulturhuset) offers a performance called “Our Northernmost Lives”, which is included in the onshore program for cruise guests.  

Honningsvåg port features a total of six docking piers, including three cruise quays with varying lengths from 65 to 155 meters (Figure 3). Additionally, large-sized cruise ships have an option to anchor at two tender piers. The maximum length of a cruise vessel that harbour can accommodate is 360 meters. The port authority managers the tender docks, as well as the availability of pilot and tugboats. Drinking water is provided by the harbour (Nordkappregionen havn) at the south and north quays, while waste disposal is managed by the municipality of Nordkapp. The town centre is conveniently located only 150 meters away. It is important to note that there is no dedicated terminal building for passengers, nor are there crew facilities or restrooms in the pier area. Shuttle buses are arranged when contracted by the ships, and public transportation options are available in the port area.