– The biggest problem is that they are close together. Uncomfortably close, for me at least. That’s what Margrete Larsen, who lives in Ersfjordbotn on Kvaløya in Tromsø municipality, says about the many tourists in the area. A while ago, someone broke into her house. She therefore becomes a little extra anxious when she hears strange voices outside the house. Margrete often finds that tourists come out to Ersfjordbotn to see the Northern Lights, on her property. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news She also notices when others leave traces on the property. Last week there were footprints from someone else on Larsen’s porch. A few days ago, around 30 people were sliding down the hill in the garden. At this time it is high season for visits. She feels that it has picked up in recent years. Larsen believes the location of their house makes it more accessible to tourists. The house is at the end of the road and at a turning point. Tourists often stop at the turning point by the house to take pictures of the northern lights. But sometimes it’s more than just photography. She often looks out the window. Every now and then she sees something she would rather be without. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news – We have had the experience of drinking coffee in the morning on a Sunday, then we see that someone is sitting with their trousers below their buttocks. She tried to knock on the window, but got no response. – It’s not pleasant when you’re sitting drinking coffee, and you almost get the coffee in the wrong way because you see that someone is sitting with their trousers below their bum. A couple of years ago, Margrete took a picture of one of the events. One of the tourists who, a couple of years ago, defecated in Margrete’s garden. Photo: Margrete Larsen She uses to inform that it is private property. Then the tourists tend to respect that, she says. But there are exceptions. It was iTromsø that mentioned these challenges first. Put up a sign They put up a sign. – The day after we put up the sign, we saw that someone had urinated around the entire sign. It was like there was a little protest that we had set it up. So says Jonny Larsen, who lives with Margrete. The sign is still outside the house, but not everyone respects it. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news – It will be a bit much. It seems like they don’t respect what is private. That they follow the road and the like, that’s perfectly fine. It does nothing. But when we get them all the way onto the stairs, it can be a bit overwhelming, he says. Larsen hopes they will install a toilet, so the tourists don’t waste their time in his garden. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news He is not sure who will inform the tourists that they cannot go so close to their property. But something must be done, he believes. No plans to establish a toilet The tourists are in more places than on the property of the Larsen couple. In a bus shed on the other side of the fjord, a tourist is said to have taken up residence a couple of weeks ago, shows a photo news has obtained. A couple of weeks ago, a tourist used a bus shelter in Ersfjord in Tromsø municipality as a toilet. Photo: Private Carl Joacim Fensbekk, unit manager of the unit for parks, sports and outdoor activities in Tromsø municipality, informs news that they are aware of the problem. – Tromsø municipality sees the problem as serious. It is very inappropriate that the locals in Ersfjordbotn experience tourists going to the toilet in their backyard, he writes in an e-mail. Fensbekk further writes that there has been a large increase in tourists to the city in recent years, and that several places are not sized for tourism and the challenges that follow. As of now, there are no plans to establish a public toilet in Ersfjord, according to the unit manager. – Until now, the municipality has established toilets in connection with popular exit areas, intended for those who will enjoy Tromsø’s nature. – They are not necessarily located in popular tourist locations, he writes in the e-mail. Believes toilet facilities are the most important In Lofoten in Nordland, too, they have struggled with tourists taking liberties: Several left faeces in people’s gardens. And precisely Lofoten was the first to come out with poo bags for humans. Some of those who were out cleaning cleaned 40 liters of human poo. – After all, Lofoten has had a great focus on facilitation over several years. – We need some form of financial contribution, and we believe visitor contributions are a good solution, says Trond Øverås, managing director of Nordnorsk reiseliv. – Should those involved in tourism, both in the north and for the rest of the country, start by handing out poo bags? – Now they have attempted it in Lofoten. I will not say that I hope that this measure is needed everywhere. The most important thing is that we get toilet facilities up, says Øverås. The managing director of Nordnorsk says what is happening in Ersfjordbotn is broken. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news Working towards “visitor contribution” The municipality wants to build infrastructure for the growing tourism. That’s what Sigrid Mogård-Jansen writes in her email to news. She is head of the section for society, innovation and industry in Tromsø municipality. – Tromsø municipality has worked actively for a long time to introduce a visitor contribution. That’s why we were very happy when the Ministry of Business, Industry and Fisheries proposed this week that municipalities with a lot of travel activity can demand a visitor contribution. Mogård-Jansen believes that this can solve the challenges in Ersfjord and elsewhere. – Forced to work with visitor management Øverås in North Norwegian tourism says that there is a focus on how to facilitate for tourists now, and that there must be an even greater focus on that in the future. – We have to work with what we call good visitor management. It is linked to information, signage and toilet facilities. Not only for the sake of the tourist, but also for the local population and visiting regional population. He also highlights “visitor contributions”. The difference between “visitor contribution” and tourist tax is that the former covers more, he believes. – It’s about getting the guest to contribute to ensuring that both we who live here and those who visit have a better experience. Can be pleasant Although the tourists are often close to the house in Ersfjord, Margrete Larsen believes that it is sometimes pleasant. – Japanese tourists have had to borrow the kick and get kicked a little. They were allowed to come in and look at the picture of the northern lights on the wall. She has also heard several suggestions for solutions from people she talks to. – Several have said: You can only sell waffles here. Someone must have bought it. People also suggest that they should set up a separate toilet. – For us, this is private. It’s my garden.
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Tourists poo in gardens in Tromsø – looking for the northern lights and beautiful fjords – news Troms and Finnmark
