Responsible tourism issues
Our norway-winter Vacations
Lofoten Islands winter photography vacation, Norway
Unique Photography in Norway's beautiful Lofoten Islands
Kamben cross country skiing in Norway
Beautifully situated on an undulating plateau in central Norway
Peer Gynt ski touring vacation in Norway
Cross county skiing The Peer Gynt Trail - Lillehammer Norway
Cross country skiing in Norway
Skiing in Norway's Telemark ski region
Northern Lights tour, Sweden, Finland & Norway
Visit Sweden, Finland and Norway in a handcrafted itinerary
Venabu cross country skiing vacation in Norway
Independent cross-country skiing in dramatic landscape
Norway cross-country ski tour
7 Day Cross Country Ski Tour In Norway
Mosstrond cross country skiing in Norway
The perfect place to indulge your passion for cross-country skiing
Lapland New Year vacation, Northern Lights
New Year celebrations, Tromsø & the Northern Lights Route
Norway cross country skiing vacation
Cross Country Troll Trail from Rondane to Lillehammer
Jotunheimen cross country skiing vacation in Norway
Excellent cross-country ski trails in Jotunheimen National Park
Svalbard and Northern Lights vacation
Northern lights activities included hotel at Spitsbergen
Northern Lights vacation in Norway, Tromsø and Lyngen Alps
View the autumn Arctic sky - Tromsø and the Lyngen Peninsula
Northern Lights vacation, Norway adventure
Northern Norway’s coastline & natural world at its finest
Snowshoeing vacation in Norway
7-Day Snowshoeing and Dogsledding Adventure in Norway
Winter Norway tour, Arctic Circle
Norway Winter Arctic Circle Tour: Lofoten - Tromso
Northern Lights and whale watching vacation in Norway
Northern Norway whale watching and the Aurora Borealis
Norway Northern Lights vacation, Senja Island
Northern Lights in Senja, Norway's third largest island
A warmer, wetter arctic
It seems cruel that Norway, a paragon of virtue for some of its environmental initiatives, finds itself on the precipice of devastating climate change. The Norwegian arctic is getting warmer and wetter every year. Longyearbyen is one of the fastest heating towns in the world – temperatures have risen by 4°c degrees since 1971 (as a reminder, the global target is 2°c by 2100). Svalbard’s glaciers, which cover 60% of the archipelago’s landmass, are retreating fast and contributing to rising sea levels. Sea ice is diminishing, and with it, polar bear, seal and algae habitat.The Sami, an indigenous people, 50% of whom live in Norway, are disproportionately affected by climate change – some 20,000 of them live in the Finnmark region, where their twice-a-year reindeer migration is affected by unpredictable new weather patterns that stop usually traversable lakes and rivers from freezing. Winter rain – a result of a warmer planet – falls on pasture and freezes it over. In Svalbard, the reindeer are starving. In 2019, over 200 were found dead, having not been able to dig through the ice to eat.
What you can do
If Norway’s trainline ever extends to Tromsø (the possibility is being discussed again), then you could cut the flight out of your vacation and take the train all the way to your next winter break. In the mean time, our carbon reduction page will help you think about ways to make your trip better.
Overtourism
Norway is pretty hot on protecting its landscape, but even the pristine paradise isn’t immune to overtourism. In 2016, in the frosty wake of Disney’s Frozen a film inspired by Norway’s fjords, the West Coast tourist board, Fjord Norway, slashed its tourism budget for the next year as visitors rocketed. But it wasn’t just Frozen fever bringing the crowds. Visitors to Trolltunga, a famous rock near Hardangerfjord, had increased tenfold in five years, partly due to how good the rocky outcrop looks on social media. Tourists took to TripAdvisor to describe the hour-long photo queues at the top, and they haven’t gone away. Frozen 2, release date November 2019, could cause more crowds.Though Norway’s overtourism statistics are far smaller than the horror stories you read about for Barcelona or Dubrovnik, the Lofoten Islands are particularly vulnerable. These tiny Arctic Circle islands support a cluster of traditional cod fishing communities. The village roads aren’t really fit for cars, let alone coach loads and every summer for the past few years communities like Nusfjord (population c. 20) have been crowded out by up to 50 tour buses a day. The local communities warned of the problem in 2016, and it made the international press. After a campaign from two Lofoten municipalities, the Lofoten Islands became a National Park in 2018. This status comes with an injection of money – one that will help develop tourist infrastructure and preserve mountain trails. But the new title, mainland Norway’s 40th National Park, will of course attract more tourists too. In winter, it’s not large crowds that’s the problem, but inexperienced drivers who come unprepared for winding snowy roads and cause accidents.
By going to Norway in winter, you are bucking the trend. Despite the Disney film’s icy theme, the overcrowding in the fjords and the Lofoten Islands is in the short summer season. But one of the best ways to be a responsible traveler is to put money into places that are off the beaten track. Consider visiting the Vesterålen archipelago, just north of Lofoten. It’s less mountainous, but you can go on a wonderful whale watching vacation here in winter or early spring.
“There are also a series of environmental certifications in Norway. Look out for the Ecotourism Norway and Eco-Lighthouse signs. Accommodations that have the relevant ones will proudly display them. Ideally look for the family or locally owned properties, the same applies to any activities you might want to do, you can look to check their credentials. Typically, activities are well regulated e.g whale watching, so I wouldn’t anticipate many unsatisfactory practices in that respect, but there should be something in the literature to show the company’s approach to responsible tourism.”