The main reason for growth is an extension of the season where we have welcomed cruise ships in eight of the twelve months, noted Jon Olav Stedje, manager port operations, Port of Flåm.
Looking at the nationality of cruise visitors just over 90,000 hailed from the UK, with Germans accounting for just over 38,000, Spain just short of 30,000 followed by US with 21,408 and Italy 17,148.
Cruise ships calling in the peak months of June, July and August have been stable for the past few years confirms Stedje and the possibility to grow in the summer is limited, ‘as we wish to continue to delivery a quality experience at the destination,’ he remarked.
The growth can come in the shoulder months of May/early June and in September/October, he highlighted.
The main goal, says Stedje, is to stretch the season even more and the prognosis for the upcoming years looks promising, he added.
Open 365 and looking to develop year round
‘It has been a goal for us to extend the season and develop more into a year round destination. Flåm is open 365 and therefore we are pleased to see we are moving in the right direction,’ he commented.
Looking at 2019 Flåm is expecting 166 calls and close to 265,000 cruise guests.
New excursions centre on the longest and, says Stedje, ‘possibly also the most scenic’ zipline in Scandinavia, an extended Viking Village at Gudvangen and a new gondola rail at Voss.
The city centre is also developing with new cafes, a home bakery, new shops and an upgraded recreational area will be ready for next season, he remarked.
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