It is dry weather and six biting degrees of cold in Bergen. At Strandkaiterminalen in the middle of the city centre, there is still a long queue on the quay to take part in the fjord cruise to Mostraumen in Modalen, a two-hour boat ride north-east. – We see great potential in winter tourism and invest all year round, says general manager Pål Eide Hansen of Fjord Cruise AS as the boat is being filled up. The boat does the same to a competing company on the neighboring quay, which runs the same route. It goes so well all year round that Fjord Cruise is considering expanding. – When the year is over, we will see if we should perhaps increase the offer with another boat, says Hansen. On their very first European trip The tourists who fill up both boats every day come from afar. One of those who wants to go out and see Norwegian fjord nature on a freezing January day is Mariana van Leeuwen from Sao Paolo. At home in the Brazilian metropolis, the temperature is approximately 35 degrees higher. The difference is noticeable. Mariana is on her very first trip to Europe. She shivers, but still spends as much time as possible out on deck. – It’s very cold! But I love the cold here, Mariana smiles bravely between selfies and photography of the narrow fjord inwards towards Mostraumen and Modalen. The boat trip goes from Strandkaien in Bergen (pictured) to Mo in Modalen. Photo: Jan Børge Leirvik / news – The children have never seen snow before Now it’s holiday time on the other side of the globe. And more and more people from other parts of the world and southern parts of Europe are choosing Western Norway and Norway as holiday destinations, even if it is cold. Or maybe that’s exactly why. The Ridgewell family have traveled from Perth in Australia to experience the temperature difference. – We have spent a fortune, and think we have taken everything necessary with us, says Neroli Ridgewell. – The children have never seen snow before, so this was a surprise for them, says husband Troy. The trips into the fjord are also very popular in winter. Photo: Jan Børge Leirvik / news – As it happens, Margrethe Helgebostad in Innovation Norway and Visit Norway points to the two main groups that come to Norway in winter: ski tourists and northern lights tourists. The majority of ski tourists are in Eastern Norway, where Danes and Swedes come. This year, Northern Norway in particular has a good winter season, with many curise tourists. – It’s thundering there this year, says Helgebostad. But while Northern Norway and Eastern Norway have a longer history of good winter seasons, it is relatively new in Western Norway. – We see far more winter tourists here now than there has been before. But we are not very surprised either, we have worked purposefully, says Stein Ove Rolland in Fjord Norge As. Nordlys tourists go to Bergen It was in 2018 that they started work on profiling Western Norway as a winter destination. Before this, there is almost no winter tourism to speak of in the west, he believes. Just as it started to pick up, the pandemic came. But now Rolland again sees a large increase. In addition to promoting the fjord, mountains and western villages, Fjord Norway has also benefited from good times elsewhere in the country. – We profit a little from the interest in the northern lights as well. There is a large proportion of international guests who want to experience both the northern lights and the fjord on the same winter trip, he says, and points out that the Widerøe route between Bergen, Tromsø and Bodø is absolutely central. From Eastern Norway to Western Norway, the actual journey over the mountain is part of the package for the tourists. Hotel growth in the big cities Winter tourism is a focus area in Bergen, although it is not often that you can expect so much snow. Because winter tourists are not so different from summer tourists, says the director of tourism in Bergen, Anders Nyland. – People really want to go out and see the fjords, they want to learn about historic Bergen and visit museums, see world heritage and take a walk in the mountains. It is quite similar, says Nyland. Figures from the Benchmarking Alliance show that hotels in Bergen had an increase of 26 per cent in December, and 10 per cent in November, compared to 2019, the last “normal year” before the pandemic. For the Bergen region as a whole, the increase in the last two months of the year was 4 per cent compared to 2019, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB). Other big cities experience the same. In Oslo the increase was 9 per cent, in Tromsø 4.6 per cent, while Trondheim was at the same level as in 2019. The Ridgewell family from Australia was delighted that the children in the family saw snow for the first time. Photo: Jan Børge Leirvik / news Fewer offers for winter tourists On the four-hour cruise to Mostraumen, many of the tourists choose to stay out on deck for the entire trip, despite freezing temperatures and wind. Cameras and mobile phones are up all the time. A highlight is the ice that has settled in the inner part of Mostraumen, which prevents the boat from going all the way to the municipal center Mo in Modalen. – I asked if we couldn’t drive through the ice, but my husband explained that it could be like driving the “Titanic”, says Neroli Ridgewell. Even if the boat trip pays off, there are fewer offers for those who choose to visit the capital of Western Norway in winter compared to those who come during the traditional tourist season. Hoping more people will see the winter potential Although both fjord cruises, the Fløybanen, museums and other attractions are also open in winter, Visit Bergen hopes that even more people will extend the season to year-round operation to make the city even more attractive to winter tourists. – The offer is constantly improving, but there are a number of players who choose to remain closed. We think that’s a shame, because more and more people are coming here. Fortunately, more and more people see that there is also a market in winter, says tourism manager Nyland. For the Ridgewell family, the holiday in winter-cold Norway was, in any case, a boundary-breaking experience. – We have never seen anything like it. There is no such thing in Australia.
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Crowded fjord cruises on icy January days
