by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 2:45 PM ET, Fri February 23, 2024
Located high above the Arctic Circle, not far from the North Pole, Svalbard lures intrepid travelers with its rugged landscape and abundant wildlife.
Polar bears outnumber people on Svalbard. The archipelago—and its surrounding waters—is home to roughly 3,000 polar bears, while the human population stands at roughly 2,600. Svalbard is also home to a unique subspecies of reindeer, as well as several species of seals, multiple types of whales, walruses, puffins and other birds.
Now, in a move to help protect the wild animals living on the Norwegian-controlled archipelago, the government wants to implement new restrictions on cruise ships and other tourism-related activities.
The new rules, which will take effect January 1, 2025, if they receive parliamentary approval, will cap the number of passengers on ships in protected areas and limit shore landings to specific areas.
From that date forward, ships carrying tourists will only be able to visit 43 designated landing sites on Svalbard—all other landings in protected areas are prohibited. In addition, they must have no more than 200 passengers on board.
The government is also banning the use of drones in protected areas. It’s also permanently banning the use of snowmobiles and other tracked vehicles on sea ice in select fjords after March 1, except for those heading to cabins.
Ships may not break fast ice on the waters of the Arctic Ocean surrounding the archipelago. (The ban does not apply to the Norwegian Coast Guard, nor vessels maintaining supply routes between Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Ny-Ålesund.)
The rules also include provisions intended to help protect nesting birds and marine mammals. Ships must keep their speed under 5 knots at a distance of 500 meters from bird cliffs between April 1 and August 31. They must also stay at least 150 meters away from sites where walruses haul out and keep their speed under 5 knots at a distance of 300 meters from those sites. Ships must also stay at least 300 to 500 meters away from polar bears.
Several cruise lines offer sailings that include landings on Svalbard, including Hurtigruten and sister brand HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions). In 2023, in honor of the company’s 130th anniversary, Hurtigruten reinstated the Svalbard Express, a route the line previously operated from 1968 to 1982. HX, meanwhile, offers several itineraries that stop in Svalbard.
Hurtigruten also owns hotels, tour companies and restaurants in Longyearbyen.
Karin Strand, vice president of expedition development at HX, told Travel Weekly the new rules will “present new challenges in the area.” Some of its ships are now too large, based on the new passenger capacity limits.
“Our team of expedition experts await further updates from [Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators], and we will work together to adapt our itineraries where necessary," she added.
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