Cruise Destination Alta : Practices, challenges and opportunities

• Main Authors: Hoarau-Heemstra, Hindertje, Pashkevich, Albina
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Nord universitet 2023
• Subjects: cruise tourism; local communities; sustainabiltiy; practices; innovation; resilience; VDP::Samfunnsvitenskap: 200::Økonomi: 210; Alta; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3102238

In Alta, cruise tourism plays a significant role in the broader tourism industry, and its growth is expected in the upcoming years. However, the future of cruise tourism in Alta is a subject of extensive debate among local stakeholders. While many stakeholders strive to steer the cruise industry towards a more sustainable direction, they face various challenges. This case report utilizes desk research, document analysis, interviews, and field research to explore the key issues related to cruise tourism in Alta. The objective is to extract insights from this destination that can inform the development of more sustainable Arctic cruise communities in the future. The report emphasizes that Alta is a relatively new and emerging cruise tourism destination, primarily visited by small and medium-sized ships, particularly between December and April. As a result, Alta does not encounter the severe problems faced by smaller communities overwhelmed by large numbers of cruise tourists. Nevertheless, the analysis underscores the persistent challenges concerning the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of cruise tourism in Alta, which fuels an active debate about its future development. The report identifies three primary issues associated with cruise tourism in Alta. Firstly, there is a desire among the tourism community to strike a balance between land-based tourism and cruise tourism, given the limited capacity of places, experiences, and tourism personnel. It is unfavorable for the entire destination's capacity to be solely allocated to cruise tourism. Secondly, infrastructure development in Alta lags behind the growth of cruise tourism. As Alta did not plan the physical space as a dedicated cruise tourism harbor, it presents challenges for both local stakeholders and cruise guests. Stakeholders express a need for investment in improved cruise equipment, such as a new quay further away from the airport, land-based electricity, and infrastructure to connect to the town of Alta. Thirdly, many stakeholders ...