Norway on course to re-write cruise record books

The number of calls is also 359 more than in September 2022, according to data compiled by Norway’s Coastal Administration (SafeSeaNet).

The number of passenger day visits in the first nine months of this year stood at 5.7m, compared to 4m in 2019. The average number of passengers on board was 1,615 at end September compared to 1,249 in 2022.

2023 forecast already reached

According to Cruise Norway’s CEO Inge Tangerås, ‘our forecast for 2023 was for an average of 1,430 passengers per call and the number of visits at 3,847 calls, which would have indicated 5.5m passenger day visits to Norway this year (based on confirmed bookings in Norwegian ports). However based on actual data, the forecast of 5.5m was already reached by September and with 348 calls still remaining this year.’

As a result, ‘From 2017 to 2023 we might see close to a doubling in the number of cruise passengers visiting Norway,’ Tangerås exclaimed.

He outlined to Seatrade Cruise News three trends that are shaping Norway’s current cruise numbers: ‘We saw tonnage being moved from the Baltic to Norway at the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict last year, Norway’s cruise season has been gradually extended over all months of the year and we are also witnessing strong growth in winter itineraries in Northen Norway.’

Bergen most calls; Ålesund most passengers

Bergen still tops the league regarding the number of cruise ship calls with 325 recorded in the first nine months of this year, however looking at the number of passengers visiting, Ålesund heads the table welcoming 603,535 compared to Bergen’s 555,758.

The second most visited port in Norway from 1.1.23 to 30.9.23 is Longyearbyen with 262 calls recorded however with the majority being expedition and small ships, the number of passengers ranks well down in the top most visited ports with just 75,575 compared to 226,352 in Flam which sits in 10^th position.