Tuesday, January 2, 2024 - 18:41 by ce-press
Cruise Destination Hardangerfjord, together with colleagues from hotels, tour operators, Visit Eidfjord and Ulvik, hosted travel agents and media in London before Christmas.
A morning of presentations was enough to convince anyone listening that this is a place well worth visiting, whether by land or sea. There is a wide variety of attractions on offer, ranging from a cider safari amongst the apple blossom, to a hike to Trolltunga rock to visiting the Norwegian Nature Center Hardanger.
Inge Tangeras, ceo Visit Eidfjord, explained that there had been 90 calls and 170,000 passengers, 25% from the UK, to the two ports within Hardangerfjord (Eidfjord and Ulvik) during 2023.
With regards to sustainability and with Fit for 55 on the radar for 2030, Tangeras is in no doubt that onshore power supply (OPS) is a must to be in the cruise business. In this respect plans for OPS have been submitted to Enova for the installation and operation at an investment of about NKr100 million (€8.8 million). This will result in one 16mW connection at the pier to be operational in early 2026.
An added bonus of this system is that it would also be used to power trucks and buses in the vicinity, hence cutting emissions further.
“A condition of the support from Enova is that we have to have letters of intent from the cruiselines committing to plug in,” explains Tangeras.
Meanwhile in Ulvik where tenders come in to just in front of Brakanes Hotel, family owners Fjordtind Hotels are working on ensuring more passengers stop and enjoy the recently-upgraded hotel and local facilities, as well as taking tours further afield.
Hardangerfjord is 90 minutes drive from Bergen airport with direct flights to/from London and regional UK airports, such as Aberdeen, Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds.
