Although cruise tourists visited almost 40 Norwegian ports in 2014, passengers and port call numbers have registered a decrease since the previous year.
While most of the tourists chose to visit Bergen, nine other ports in Norway can brag about large numbers, with 100,000 daily cruise visitors. Out of those, the majority hailed from Germany and the UK, Norway's primary cruise markets.
Bergen registered 442,759 cruise tourists in 2014 with a 2 percent decrease from 2013's 453,015. The numbers are however much higher compared to years like 2009, when 282,500 tourists visited the Norwegian port. Second on the list is Geiranger with 301,174 in 2014 and a 4 percent decrease compared to the year prior. Stavanger took the biggest hit with a 24 percent decrease in 2014.
Figures from the Innovation Norway Tourism Survey reveal that tourists who prefer cruises are usually older, go about booking their cruise well in advance and many have never been to Norway before.
German Tourists Are of Great Economic Importance
The feedback from cruise tourists is by-and-large positive. They are much more prone to recommend Norway as a tourist destination than visitors who arrived by land. Visitors who enjoy activities that are cultural in nature will spend larger amounts of money while those who like their trips to be more physical, much less.
The majority of cruise tourists are German. In 2014, 210,279 German tourists arrived in Norway's ports, the number revealing a 23 percent increase from 2013. Figures in regards to UK visitors show only a 12 percent increase while for the US we see an 8 percent decrease as only 34,724 tourists chose Norway as a destination by cruise. In total, Norway's cruise tourism industry saw a 7 percent decrease in 2014.
The Norwegian Industry Gets 2.3 Billion
While in Norway, during the summer of 2014, cruise tourists have spent roughly 12 billion Norwegian kroner. About 2.3 billion of that amount has been reinvested and kept within the industry. The remainder of the earnings went beyond Norway's borders.
Tourists who arrive by cruise ship spend 3,945 kroner on average for their entire stay, or about 860 kroner daily while on land. The ones that arrive from land spend much more, with an average of 13,470 kroner or 1,285 daily while in Norway.
Cruise Tourists and Age
Data reveals that not only are tourists pleased with Norway as a destination, but also most of them would return by going on another cruise.
Cruise tourists are 8 years older on average (58.3 to 49.6) than the ones that choose other means of transportation. Those coming from the US are the oldest. US also offers the biggest age discrepancy between different types of visitors. The youngest hail from the south of Europe, with an average of 54.1 years.
The First Time for Many
Out of three tourists coming by way of cruise, only one had previously visited Norway. A higher proportion of land-based visitors have been to Norway before, proving that cruise tourism is doing well. Out of all nationalities, Germans are the ones that have been to Norway the most often, while US citizens are more prone to visit by land.