Travel
King Crab safari in Norway's northern waters is a fantastic tourist experience, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Cruise ships will make 360 port calls to Northern Norway and Svalbard this season bringing in some 100,000 passengers.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed Norway that Orenburzhye airlines is ready to start flights. Aviation authorities at Tromsø airport, though, haven’t been contacted.
Saariselkä ski resort in Finnish Lapland still has 50-100 cm snow.
Tens of thousands of visitors from Asia and Europe are about to fly in to Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland.
With ice on the rivers, the interest in going for fly fishing on the Kola Peninsula is limited.
Norwegian Government gives priority to extension of the runway at Kirkenes airport.
Long Read: Sailing Arctic frontiers
It‘s a paradox, but global warming opens more Arctic waters for vessels with tourists who want to see the sea ice before it vanish. Russia's Franz Josef Land sails up as the new highlight destination.
Soviet era air traffic agreement forces Norwegian Air Shuttle to fly south of Russian airspace on routes to Asia.
They are now the biggest group of foreign travellers in the Russian Arctic region, almost twice as many as the ones from neighbouring Nordic states.
Tromsø-based start-up airline FlyViking presents wide range of possible routes.
2016 was a record-setting year for the tourism sector in Finnish Lapland. More visitors, especially from Asia and the UK, boosted tourism in Finland’s far north by more than 10% last year.
Siste/ mest lest
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Jet plane will fly the only east-west cross-border route in northern Scandinavia.
Russia’s largest nuclear powered icebreaker to sail five cruises per season until 2019.
Lack of snow on continental Europe gives boost in air-traffic to northern Finland.
“I will be disappointed if we don’t have a vessel with battery propulsion within 10 years,” says CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
The potential is great, regional authorities say as they look for investors to the Khatanga airport, one of the biggest in the Russian Arctic.
Winter tourism
“We sell snow and the cold," says Adventure Developer Kåre Tannvik with Kirkenes Snowhotel.
A planned Arctic cruise route includes visits to the highly militarized and sealed-off Novaya Zemlya, Deputy Governor Aleksey Tyukavin confirms to foreign business representatives.
Tourist companies follow each other and are now coming to the Arctic, says Sven-Olof Lindblad, a pioneer in expedition cruising in ice-covered waters.
Russian tourist companies ask Foreign Ministry to ease visa regulations for foreigners.
VIDEO STORY: The Finnish Arctic is trendy and hot, tourism representative Sanna Kärkkäinen says. This year’s winter season was the best on record.
Direct flights to Kittilä from both Munich and Dusseldorf next winter season.
The tourism industry accounts for 8 percent of the regional GDP, Marina Kovtun says.
Christmas
More than 500 flights are expected to Rovaniemi in what could be the best ever tourist season.
“Developing new oil fields in the north is to walk backwards into the future,” says Kåre Tannvik, Adventure developer with Kirkenes Snowhotel. Winter tourism is one of the fastest growing businesses in northern Norway.
1,8 million visitors may not be all good news for the tiny populated island with fragile nature and underdeveloped infrastructure.
Russia’s Federal Agency for tourism says it will do everything possible to open restricted Arctic border zone areas for tourists.
Rolls Royce designs the new generation of Arctic cruise ships.
Scandinavia’s largest regional airline has signed contract for up to 15 Embraer E2 jets.
Ten new luxury purpose-built polar class vessels are under construction by various cruise-liners.
Tourism to Iceland has skyrocketed during the last years, and is now a major source of employment in the country.
“72-hours visa freedom gives more possibilities, more guests, more work, better business,” says local tourist handler Sergey Arzumanov.
After years of planning the Russian Government has signed the decree opening for 72 hours visa-free entrance for ferry- and cruise vessel passengers.
British tourists will find it easier to get to Lapland this winter after Norwegian announced a new route from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi.
A new tourist complex opens the doors for foreigners. It is located next door to Russia’s Arctic Brigade and is funded by the EU.