Husky safari in Norway

Tourism in Norwegian Lapland has become a main source of employment and income, replacing traditional industries such as forestry. Working within this growth industry in rural and remote areas means that we must take a great deal of responsibility; socially, environmentally and economically. We fully appreciate the impact of tourist visits on local communities and their residents and strive to ensure that we are having a positive effect.

The area of Lyngsfjord which we explore during this holiday is a remote and wild place which is primarily untouched by tourism. We are fully aware that we are taking our clients in sometimes pristine winter environments and therefore we work very hard with our suppliers to ensure that the impacts of any visit are managed correctly. There is a strict leave no place policy and absolutely all waste is removed.

Although ideally we do send clients away for longer durations we do find that many people are unable to spend longer away. We never produce holidays of less than 3 nights duration as we feel that the local community will not benefit economically and environmentally we would not suggest such itineraries which include flights.

We have included a great deal of interaction with the Sámi culture & in addition we encourage our clients to get involved in local events and activities which help to sustain traditional values and customs. The reindeer and cultural experiences which include are arranged by people whose livelihoods depend on these animals and people who have grown up with them and appreciate the culture associated with that lifestyle. Clients learn some of the traditional skills and try some delicious local foods giving them a better insight into the local area.

We always encourage our clients to respect and embrace the lives and culture of local inhabitants by learning a few important words: hello, goodbye, please, thank you etc.

In all of our destinations we ensure that we use local suppliers, enabling locally owned businesses and the economies in which they work to benefit directly. Through the tourism multiplier effect, this all helps to generate incomes and employment where the drift might otherwise be towards larger employment areas such as towns and cities. Our use of small businesses means that the tourism income, generated by our presence, stays where it should, in the local economy.

The Guesthouse Vollan is a small family run establishment which is situated in the outskirts of a small town. It is an area which has very little contact with the tourism industry which cities such as Tromso experience and so the economic benefit of the tourism we bring in is felt strongly.

We firmly believe in paying a fair price for all the services provided by our suppliers regardless of where they are in the world. In Lyngsfjord we work with a small consortium of activity providers whose entrepreneurial ideas have led to a very successful business and we are proud to support such diversification in the rural areas. We are also able to take full advantage of their local knowledge and enthusiasm, they know their area and they know their activities and add a great deal of local insight to the holiday.

We do appreciate that some may feel that snowmobiles should not be included in such itineraries however in areas such as this they are a way of life. The alternatives to snowmobiles would in most cases be large, gas-guzzling off road vehicles. All snowmobiles are regularly serviced and kept as fuel efficient as possible. The snowmobile service industry is also another vital source of employment in this remote area.

When we visit remote extremely remote areas such as during our overnight safari the group sizes are kept as small as possible in order to reduce the impact of the dog sleds on the area.