The Norwegian cruise industry’s growth projections

As cruise traffic grows to Norway, the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) forecasts steady growth. Approximately 5 million passengers are expected to travel in 2023, compared to 4.3 million in 2022 (each passenger is counted in each port) and 4.1 million in 2019, which was another record year.

Based on Kystverket’s forecast, the future of the cruise industry is positive, but environmental regulations will need to be formulated by both national and international governments. Growth forecasts may temporarily change due to tighter regulations entering into service.

According to Kystverket, the 2022 increase was partially the result of ships being rerouted due to cancellations in Saint Petersburg and Arctic Russia.

Stavanger recorded the most passengers with 429,048 on 211 calls in 2022, followed by Bergen with 308 calls and 364,334 passengers.

In terms of calls, Bergen, Lesund, Troms, Stavanger, Longyearbyen, Oslo, Geiranger, Honningsvg, Kristiansand, and Flmm were the most popular ports.

From 2019, Flm, Hellesylt, and Geiranger saw a decrease in calls due to stricter regulations. According to Kystverket, other ports that limit ship calls and passengers saw a reduction in traffic as well.

As a result of scoring high on the Environmental Ship Index, 13 ships were eligible for port fee discounts in 2022.

Due to an increase in traffic, including more winter cruises, Kystverket is reviewing existing rules and regulations and is updating emergency services as well.