Responsible tourism in Norway
Our Norway Vacations
Lofoten Islands self guided cycling vacation, Norway
Lofoten, biking in unique and beatiful scenery
Self guided biking tour in Norway, Arctic Coast
Biking under the midnight sun from Tromsø to Svolvær
Lofoten Islands winter photography vacation, Norway
Unique Photography in Norway's beautiful Lofoten Islands
Hiking vacation in Norway, Rondane National Park
Self guided trekking in Rondane National Park
Norway self guided biking vacation, Hardangerfjord
Spectacular view of the fjords, mountains and glaciers
Norway wildlife vacation, walking safari
Camping wildlife vacation in the Norwegian wilderness
Venabu cross country skiing vacation in Norway
Independent cross-country skiing in dramatic landscape
Fjords self guided cycling vacation in Norway
Experience the amazing Fjords south of Bergen
Cross country skiing in Norway
Skiing in Norway's Telemark ski region
Kamben cross country skiing in Norway
Beautifully situated on an undulating plateau in central Norway
Swim with Orcas in Fjords of Norway
6 night live-aboard tour in the stunning fjords 0f Norway
Scandinavia small group tour
Soak up a little Scandinavian minimalism
Fjords walking vacation in Norway
Discover a world etched with beauty
Northern Lights tour, Sweden, Finland & Norway
Visit Sweden, Finland and Norway in a handcrafted itinerary
Swim with killer whales and humpback whales in Norway
Swim near magnificent whales under the Northern Lights
Lofoten Islands and Svalbard northern lights safari
Take in the Arctic beauty on this exhilarating adventure
Peer Gynt ski touring vacation in Norway
Cross county skiing The Peer Gynt Trail - Lillehammer Norway
Spitsbergen polar bear watching cruise
Venture into the staggering realm of the King of the Arctic
Lofoten Islands summer photography vacation, Norway
Midnight Sun Photography in Norway's lovely Lofoten Islands
Whale watching and Northern Lights sailing cruise in Norway
Far North. Far East. Whales and Northern lights.
Norway photography tour, Sami culture
Unique chance to follow the Sami during their nomadic trek.
Spitsbergen cruise, 6 days
A 6 day 'taster voyage' to explore Spitsbergen's highlights
Swim with orcas in Norway, Northern Lights
Northern lights and orca swim adventure in Norway
Spitsbergen activity vacation
Blue ice glacier walk, kayaking, hiking at Spitsbergen
Midnight sun sailing vacation in Norway
Experience Superb Sailing and Unmatched Nature in Norway!
Northern lights sailing vacation in Norway
Sailing and hiking in the land of the Aurora Borealis!
Jotunheimen cross country skiing vacation in Norway
Excellent cross-country ski trails in Jotunheimen National Park
Self guided cycling vacation in Norway, Helgeland
Biking at the beautiful islands of Helgeland
The Lofoten Islands sailing vacation
Sailing in a breath-taking location with 24hr sunlight.
People & Culture
Sami rights – but which Sami?
Around 40,000 indigenous Sami live in northern Norway, with 25,000 concentrated in Finnmark. And they live on the frontline of climate change in an Arctic landscape highly sensitive to climatic variables. Melting ice, changes to humidity and precipitation plus acidification of waters impact directly on key elements of Sami life such as reindeer husbandry and fishing. In the light of ongoing threats, responsible tourism helps Sami communities both financially and in maintaining traditions.A balance needs to be struck, however, between the benefits of cultural tourism and possible threats from adventure tourism, which can impose competing demands. Reindeer herding is regarded as a key part of Sami identity, for example, but herders are suffering from a shrinking of available herding land as other users encroach on their territory. And while Sami are earning increasing amounts from souvenir sales and small-scale tourism initiatives, there is still little actual Sami ownership of things like hotels. The need is to preserve and present a wonderful Sami wilderness, while maximizing indigenous local benefits from tourism.
On a political level, stresses need to be resolved around the Norwegian state's efforts to mediate between differing Sami groups.. The so-called ‘East Sami’ who live along the border with Russia and Finland are particularly affected by these developments, with a decreasing number of grazing sites. The situation is worsened by what the 'East Sami' see as encroachment on their territory by the so-called ‘Sea-Sami’.
The UN Human Rights Committee has urged the Norwegian government to designate an area along the Neiden River known as Neiden-siida for the sole use of the ‘East Sami’. And though the ‘East Sami’ are unrepresented in the Norwegian Sami Assembly, the Assembly is nevertheless responsible for protecting their interests – but has failed to consider the issue, which remains unresolved.
Source: Media Global News
Source: World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
What you can do:
Support Sami-focused tourist initiatives. Do tours and visit events in Sami settlements like Kautokeino and Karasjok; buy locally-made souvenirs; eat Sami food; visit cultural spaces such as the Sápmi Culture Park in Karasjok. And when you are out in the wild, remember that this is their homeland first and foremost, not your playground.
Wildlife & environment
Stop your Whaling!
Unlike the reasons offered by other whaling nations – scientific 'research' by Japan, sheer, spiky, national bloody-mindedness for Iceland – Norway simply denies key tenets of the anti whaling position. They dispute that whaling decimates stocks by claiming they operate a sustainable quota system, and even now claim to use “humane” methods of slaughter.
But just stopping eating whale meat is not enough to stop the slaughter. As fewer people are tucking into whale steaks, the campaign organisation Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has discovered that the meat - equivalent to around 75 whales' worth - is now being used as animal feed. Worse still, it is being fed to animals that were being reared for their fur, such as fox and mink. Norway is a major exporter of fur.
So although Norway is hardly a struggling nation, economic alternatives to whaling must be found to deter the hunters. Other countries have shown how whale tourism can be a vital weapon in the battle against whaling. The Azores is a prime example. Whale watching vacations in the Azores have become a symbol of responsible tourism, and are excellent for business – as are elsewhere in the world, as illustrated in our whale watching travel guide. Even fellow whaling nation Iceland now has thriving whale watching initiatives that are rolling back the drive to kill these magnificent ocean giants. While whale watching is still on a small scale in Norway, conditions are excellent for it to expand.
What you can do:
Don't eat whale or eat in restaurants that serve it. Book local whale watching trips where available to help boost demand. And support organisations such as EIA and Greenpeace which campaign against whaling.
When the hunters become the hunted
No more than 70 wolves inhabit Norway today, clustered along the Swedish border in the southeast, and they are listed as critically endangered. Despite polls showing 80 percent of Norwegians want to maintain or increase their tiny wolf population a cabal of vocal farmers and politicians appears intent on culling these animals. Around 2 million sheep graze untended in territory roamed by wolves and other predators, and fewer than 10 percent of the country's sheep farmers report any predation at all. Any losses that do occur - around 1,500 per year - are handsomely compensated by the government.For a country that proclaims its love of nature and wildlife, Norwegian authorities seem to exclude predators from that equation. Just one percent of the country is designated as 'wolf zone' – though even here, only a few litters a year are permitted, with the rest being shot. Such low population levels on their own threaten the survival of Norway's wolves through lack of genetic viability, even without any direct assault on numbers. Thankfully, legal challenges are being made; a court case brought by wildlife associations resulted in a judge stopping a wolf cull around Junsele in February 2014.
Culls are justified using various dubious tactics. Arbitrary targets are set for the number of litters each year, unsupported by scientific reasoning and in the face of all evidence to the contrary with regard to dangers posed by the animals and the needs of genetic diversity. Another tactic is to simply assert the greater rights of livestock and reindeer over predators, thus allowing populations of animals under no threat at all to take precedence over animals on Norway's own Red List of 'critically endangered' species. A third approach is simply to designate certain individual wolves or other predators as 'problem individuals' – then shoot them.
Strong state support for the farming sector does not require a demonisation of Norway's predators that flies in the face of any professed national respect for nature.
What you can do:
Support wildlife associations and other campaigns seeking to protect these predators in Norway (and elsewhere). And write to Norwegian authorities – MPs, tourist bodies – letting them know you oppose the wolf culls, and making it clear that they damage the image of Norway. A good starting point is the Norwegian Ministry for the Environment who oversee Norway’s conservation policy.