Responsible tourism in Norway
Compared to many countries, responsible tourism in Norway seems close to the nation’s heart, bolstered by national wealth, a love of Nature’s bounty, plus widely professed Nordic egalitarianism with respect to indigenous Sami. 98-99% of Norway's electricity comes from hydroelectricity, billions are invested in biomass and other renewable energy projects, and Norway has committed to being domestically carbon neutral by 2030. Norwegian fish stocks are managed sustainably and in good condition - albeit after past overfishing. Yet a long consumer boom has actually seen domestic CO2 emissions rise since Norway adopted a carbon tax in 1991, while critics argue global warming is fuelled by its vast oil/gas exports – a charge, of course, all producers face. Land issues with the Sami also remain unresolved. Norway clearly wants to be a leader in environmental and social responsibility – but it can still up its game further when it comes to practice.
Our Norway Holidays
Lofoten Islands self guided cycling holiday, Norway
Lofoten, biking in unique and beatiful scenery
From
NKr15600
8 days
ex flights
Whale watching and Northern Lights sailing cruise in Norway
Far North. Far East. Whales and Northern lights.
From
NKr13900
5 days
ex flights
Kamben cross country skiing in Norway
Beautifully situated on an undulating plateau in central Norway
From
£1699 to £1979
8 days
inc UK flights
Norway self guided cycling holiday, Hardangerfjord
Spectacular view of the fjords, mountains and glaciers
From
NKr15650
7 days
ex flights
Fjords self guided cycling holiday in Norway
Experience the amazing Fjords south of Bergen
From
NKr12650
7 days
ex flights
Northern lights sailing holiday in Norway
Sailing and hiking in the land of the Aurora Borealis!
From
€2200
8 days
ex flights
Self guided biking tour in Norway, Arctic Coast
Biking under the midnight sun from Tromsø to Svolvær
From
NKr15700
8 days
ex flights
Walking holiday in Norway, Rondane National Park
Self guided trekking in Rondane National Park
From
NKr11950
7 days
ex flights
Venabu cross country skiing holiday in Norway
Independent cross-country skiing in dramatic landscape
From
£1689
8 days
inc UK flights
Cross country skiing in Norway
Skiing in Norway's Telemark ski region
From
£1599 to £2049
8 days
inc UK flights
Lofoten Islands winter photography holiday, Norway
Unique Photography in Norway's beautiful Lofoten Islands
From
£2650 to £2950
8 days
ex flights
Norway wildlife holiday, walking safari
Camping wildlife holiday in the Norwegian wilderness
From
£400 to £960
7 days
ex flights
Swim with orcas in fjords of Norway
6 night live-aboard tour in the stunning fjords 0f Norway
From
US $6600
6 days
ex flights
Lofoten Islands summer photography holiday, Norway
Midnight Sun Photography in Norway's lovely Lofoten Islands
From
£3250 to £3350
9 days
ex flights
Scandinavia small group tour
Soak up a little Scandinavian minimalism
From
£4148 to £5600
21 days
ex flights
Swim with killer whales and humpback whales in Norway
Swim near magnificent whales under the Northern Lights
From
£6295
8 days
ex flights
Peer Gynt ski touring holiday in Norway
Cross county skiing The Peer Gynt Trail - Lillehammer Norway
From
NKr13100
7 days
ex flights
Lofoten Islands and Svalbard northern lights safari
Take in the Arctic beauty on this exhilarating adventure
From
£5895
8 days
ex flights
Whale watching sailing cruise in Norway
Visit Varanger - the unpolished pearl in Norway
From
NKr14900
6 days
ex flights
Northern Lights tour, Sweden, Finland & Norway
Visit Sweden, Finland and Norway in a handcrafted itinerary
From
£3690 to £3970
8 days
inc UK flights
Fjords walking holiday in Norway
Discover a world etched with beauty
From
£3249
8 days
inc UK flights
Spitsbergen polar bear watching cruise
Venture into the staggering realm of the King of the Arctic
From
£2799 to £4099
11 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen to Franz Josefland cruise
bowhead whales polar bears walrus birdlife & kayaking
From
£4990
12 days
ex flights
Scandinavia by rail holiday, London to Tromso
Unique no-fly adventure through the Arctic and Scandinavia
From
£3100
16 days
ex flights
Norway highlights and Northern Lights holiday
Winter adventures with a northbound Norwegian Coastal Voyage
From
£2652 to £3098
10 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen widlife photography cruise
Photograph iconic Arctic wildlife
From
£8800
14 days
ex flights
Norwegian coast cruise, Kirkenes to Bergen
Kirkenes to Bergen along the length of the Norwegian coast
From
£999 to £5999
6 days
ex flights
Norway wildlife and wilderness tour
Explore Norway and watch it's large mammals
From
£1070
7 days
ex flights
Arctic cruises, Spitsbergen to Franz Josef Land
Navigate to remote parts of the Arctic
From
£6666 to £16140
14 days
ex flights
Spitsbergen cruise, 6 days
A 6 day 'taster voyage' to explore Spitsbergen's highlights
From
£1300 to £3000
6 days
ex flights
People & Culture
Sami rights – but which Sami?
Around 40,000 indigenous Sami live in northern Norway, with 25,000 concentrated in Finnmark. And they live on the frontline of climate change in an Arctic landscape highly sensitive to climatic variables. Melting ice, changes to humidity and precipitation plus acidification of waters impact directly on key elements of Sami life such as reindeer husbandry and fishing. In the light of ongoing threats, responsible tourism helps Sami communities both financially and in maintaining traditions.A balance needs to be struck, however, between the benefits of cultural tourism and possible threats from adventure tourism, which can impose competing demands. Reindeer herding is regarded as a key part of Sami identity, for example, but herders are suffering from a shrinking of available herding land as other users encroach on their territory. And while Sami are earning increasing amounts from souvenir sales and small-scale tourism initiatives, there is still little actual Sami ownership of things like hotels. The need is to preserve and present a wonderful Sami wilderness, while maximizing indigenous local benefits from tourism.
On a political level, stresses need to be resolved around the Norwegian state's efforts to mediate between differing Sami groups.. The so-called ‘East Sami’ who live along the border with Russia and Finland are particularly affected by these developments, with a decreasing number of grazing sites. The situation is worsened by what the 'East Sami' see as encroachment on their territory by the so-called ‘Sea-Sami’.
The UN Human Rights Committee has urged the Norwegian government to designate an area along the Neiden River known as Neiden-siida for the sole use of the ‘East Sami’. And though the ‘East Sami’ are unrepresented in the Norwegian Sami Assembly, the Assembly is nevertheless responsible for protecting their interests – but has failed to consider the issue, which remains unresolved.
Source: Media Global News
Source: World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
What you can do:
Support Sami-focused tourist initiatives. Do tours and visit events in Sami settlements like Kautokeino and Karasjok; buy locally-made souvenirs; eat Sami food; visit cultural spaces such as the Sápmi Culture Park in Karasjok. And when you are out in the wild, remember that this is their homeland first and foremost, not your playground.
Wildlife & environment
Stop your Whaling!
Though Norway has boomed from the black gold of North Sea oil since the 1970s, in the preceding decades since the end of WW2 things weren't nearly so rosy. A key industry in these lean times was fishing, and any attack on that was seen as an attack on a key prop of the country's economy – which, sadly, included commercial whaling. And Norway continues to defy anti-whaling demands from across the globe.
Unlike the reasons offered by other whaling nations – scientific 'research' by Japan, sheer, spiky, national bloody-mindedness for Iceland – Norway simply denies key tenets of the anti whaling position. They dispute that whaling decimates stocks by claiming they operate a sustainable quota system, and even now claim to use “humane” methods of slaughter.
Unlike the reasons offered by other whaling nations – scientific 'research' by Japan, sheer, spiky, national bloody-mindedness for Iceland – Norway simply denies key tenets of the anti whaling position. They dispute that whaling decimates stocks by claiming they operate a sustainable quota system, and even now claim to use “humane” methods of slaughter.
Norwegian authorities also argue that they firmly support the protection of endangered whale species, and only allow the hunting of ones they say are not at risk due to high numbers, such as the northeast Atlantic minke whale, which they say has a population of around 100,000. But history is full of examples of ‘huge’ populations decimated to extinction. Most of the trade is driven by global export rather than domestic consumption which, as in Iceland, is low in Norway. You will, however, see plenty of whale meat on sale in fish markets in tourist hotspots like Bergen, as well as on tourist menus.
But just stopping eating whale meat is not enough to stop the slaughter. As fewer people are tucking into whale steaks, the campaign organisation Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has discovered that the meat - equivalent to around 75 whales' worth - is now being used as animal feed. Worse still, it is being fed to animals that were being reared for their fur, such as fox and mink. Norway is a major exporter of fur.
So although Norway is hardly a struggling nation, economic alternatives to whaling must be found to deter the hunters. Other countries have shown how whale tourism can be a vital weapon in the battle against whaling. The Azores is a prime example. Whale watching holidays in the Azores have become a symbol of responsible tourism, and are excellent for business – as are elsewhere in the world, as illustrated in our whale watching travel guide. Even fellow whaling nation Iceland now has thriving whale watching initiatives that are rolling back the drive to kill these magnificent ocean giants. While whale watching is still on a small scale in Norway, conditions are excellent for it to expand.
What you can do:
Don't eat whale or eat in restaurants that serve it. Book local whale watching trips where available to help boost demand. And support organisations such as EIA and Greenpeace which campaign against whaling.
But just stopping eating whale meat is not enough to stop the slaughter. As fewer people are tucking into whale steaks, the campaign organisation Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has discovered that the meat - equivalent to around 75 whales' worth - is now being used as animal feed. Worse still, it is being fed to animals that were being reared for their fur, such as fox and mink. Norway is a major exporter of fur.
So although Norway is hardly a struggling nation, economic alternatives to whaling must be found to deter the hunters. Other countries have shown how whale tourism can be a vital weapon in the battle against whaling. The Azores is a prime example. Whale watching holidays in the Azores have become a symbol of responsible tourism, and are excellent for business – as are elsewhere in the world, as illustrated in our whale watching travel guide. Even fellow whaling nation Iceland now has thriving whale watching initiatives that are rolling back the drive to kill these magnificent ocean giants. While whale watching is still on a small scale in Norway, conditions are excellent for it to expand.
What you can do:
Don't eat whale or eat in restaurants that serve it. Book local whale watching trips where available to help boost demand. And support organisations such as EIA and Greenpeace which campaign against whaling.
When the hunters become the hunted
No more than 70 wolves inhabit Norway today, clustered along the Swedish border in the southeast, and they are listed as critically endangered. Despite polls showing 80 percent of Norwegians want to maintain or increase their tiny wolf population a cabal of vocal farmers and politicians appears intent on culling these animals. Around 2 million sheep graze untended in territory roamed by wolves and other predators, and fewer than 10 percent of the country's sheep farmers report any predation at all. Any losses that do occur - around 1,500 per year - are handsomely compensated by the government.For a country that proclaims its love of nature and wildlife, Norwegian authorities seem to exclude predators from that equation. Just one percent of the country is designated as 'wolf zone' – though even here, only a few litters a year are permitted, with the rest being shot. Such low population levels on their own threaten the survival of Norway's wolves through lack of genetic viability, even without any direct assault on numbers. Thankfully, legal challenges are being made; a court case brought by wildlife associations resulted in a judge stopping a wolf cull around Junsele in February 2014.
Culls are justified using various dubious tactics. Arbitrary targets are set for the number of litters each year, unsupported by scientific reasoning and in the face of all evidence to the contrary with regard to dangers posed by the animals and the needs of genetic diversity. Another tactic is to simply assert the greater rights of livestock and reindeer over predators, thus allowing populations of animals under no threat at all to take precedence over animals on Norway's own Red List of 'critically endangered' species. A third approach is simply to designate certain individual wolves or other predators as 'problem individuals' – then shoot them.
Strong state support for the farming sector does not require a demonisation of Norway's predators that flies in the face of any professed national respect for nature.
What you can do:
Support wildlife associations and other campaigns seeking to protect these predators in Norway (and elsewhere). And write to Norwegian authorities – MPs, tourist bodies – letting them know you oppose the wolf culls, and making it clear that they damage the image of Norway. A good starting point is the Norwegian Ministry for the Environment who oversee Norway’s conservation policy.
Responsible tourism tips
More about Norway
Find the best time to go to Bergen, Tromso and Spitsbergen, and our cultural pick from the Norway calendar.
Our Norway travel guide takes you beyond the myths and legends; read our brief history of Norway to find out more.
Looking for places to visit in Norway? Then always make our interactive map page your first port of call.
Want to know where to cycle and trek, or watch whales, elk and puffins? Then learn our top things to do in Norway.
Winter holidays in Norway are all about embracing the great outdoors through a raft of fun activities.
Norway’s coast, with deep fjords and remote islands, makes ferry voyages some of the most scenic in Europe.
Learn the best time of year to see killer whales in Norway and how you can help sustainable whale tourism.
Seeing the Northern Lights in Norway will leave you wide eyed with wonder and this is where your adventure begins.
Discover how visiting Sami communities in Norway helps sustain traditions from reindeer herding to joik singing.
Walking in Norway lets you hike fells and fjords, sleep in mountain lodges, and tuck into traditional cuisine.
We've asked our family travel experts for their advice on what to do with kids before you head to Norway.
You can trust our Norway travel advice because it comes directly from our friends and travellers in Norway.
From Spitsbergen to seeing the Northern Lights, find all our Norway related guides in one place.
