"We are pleased to have successfully managed the peak cruise season," says Coastal Director Einar Vik Arset.
The Coastal Administration's preventive efforts encompass a wide range of measures, such as contributing to safe anchoring plans, managing high-traffic fjord arms and coastal points with continuous maritime traffic monitoring and control, providing a pilot service aimed at minimizing wait times, and maintaining a navigation license system to ensure safe and efficient voyages for experienced captains.
Cruise Arrivals in 2024
There were 3,654 cruise arrivals at Norwegian ports in 2024, 158 fewer than the record year of 2023. Passenger numbers also saw a slight decrease year-on-year, with 5.9 million passengers onboard cruise arrivals in 2024, which is 60,002 fewer than in 2023. "We noticed a leveling off in traffic, and the trend of an extended season continues," comments Coastal Director Einar Vik Arset.
In 2024, there was an increase in the number of calls in the first half of the year, while the second half saw lower numbers compared to 2023. Calls to Svalbard and Jan Mayen are included in these figures.
(Number of passengers at 5.9 million represents the sum of passengers onboard all reported calls in SafeSeaNet, not the number of unique passengers visiting Norway.)
"Unique Visitors"
In 2024, 1.5 million passengers were on cruises from foreign ports to Norwegian ports. This figure closely represents the number of "unique" visitors. Additionally, there are cruise passengers who travel to Norway independently and board a cruise ship at a Norwegian port. Bergen and Tromsø serve as turnaround ports in this context. The nationalities of the cruise passengers are predominantly 45% Germans (688,000), 21% British (326,000), and 11% Americans (170,000).
Number of Cruise Arrivals and Passengers
The largest number of cruise arrivals occurred in Bergen, with 328, followed by Ålesund with 290. Several ports have experienced significant increases since 2019, such as Ålesund (+113), Haugesund (+78), and Kristiansand (+73). Conversely, Geiranger/Hellesylt and Flåm have seen the largest declines since 2019, with 29 fewer arrivals each.
Ports with High Visitor Numbers
In 2024, Bergen still led visitor statistics, followed by Geiranger/Hellesylt, Stavanger, and Flåm. Unlike in 2016, where only four destinations had over 200,000 cruise passengers, by 2024, ten destinations had exceeded this figure, indicating significant growth in certain areas.
Day Cruise Passengers
The Port of Ålesund tops the statistics for the number of day cruise passengers in 2024, with 656,678 passengers, followed by Bergen (590,944 passengers) and Stavanger (590,241 passengers). Geiranger/Hellesylt ranks fourth with 510,049 passengers. The figures in the category of day cruise passengers can be compared with the tourism industry's figures for hotel and motorhome guests, among others. According to Bergen Port's statistics, Bergen had 631,000 passengers in 2024. The main explanation for their figure being about 40,000 higher is that they are a turnaround port for several cruise ships, and the extra number of passengers is due to the exchange of passengers in the port. Consequently, the number of day cruise tourists becomes about 40,000 higher than the calls statistics by the Norwegian Coastal Administration, which only counts the number of passengers upon arrival. The table below shows the 20 ports with the most day cruise passengers in 2024 compared to 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023. While only one of the 20 ports in the table experienced a decrease in the number of cruise passengers from 2019 to 2024 (Leknes -1,280), half (10 ports) saw a reduction in the number of cruise passengers from 2023 to 2024. Olden (-63,021) and Måløy (-40,557) had the largest declines in 2024.
Summer and Winter Cruises
The cruise operators are extending the cruise season compared to before. The low season has historically been the months from October to April. The trend of more cruise calls in the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn continues. Even in mid-winter, cruise tourists now visit Norway. The cruise calls in 2024 were distributed across all months of the year. The months with the fewest calls were January (62), February (106), and December (94). The most cruise calls were in June (728) and July (721).
Outlook for This Year’s Cruise Season
The forecasts for the 2025 cruise season suggest an increase of around 200 calls and 520,000 passengers. The forecast for 2025 is from Cruise Norway. If the preliminary call figures in the 2025 forecast hold true, a new cruise record will be set in 2025 with approximately 3,900 calls and 6.4 million passengers.
The ports with the largest expected increase are Oslo (+35 calls and +131,000 passengers), Stavanger (+61 calls and +115,000 passengers), and Kristiansand (+20 calls and +78,000 passengers). In Ålesund, a marginal decrease is expected with six fewer calls and -12,000 passengers, while Bergen is expected to see a marginal increase of 13 calls and 2,000 passengers in 2025.
There is uncertainty regarding the final figures for the year's season, as it depends on the occupancy rate of passengers on the cruise ships.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration's cruise statistics are based on the reporting of voyages and calls from vessels in SafeSeaNet Norway. A cruise ship is categorized as a vessel registered with the ship type "Passenger/cruise" regardless of size. The only exception/adjustment is that coastal express ships operating as expedition ships are counted as cruise ships, while other ships in coastal route service are excluded (regardless of ship type). The number of passengers reported are those on board during the voyage and call at each mainland and Svalbard location. Only one call per ship per day to the same location is counted. Calls and passenger numbers to Geiranger and Hellesylt are treated as one; a cruise ship calling at one or both locations on a single day is only counted once. These last two limitations are new in 2024, resulting in somewhat lower numbers of calls and passengers than previously published cruise statistics, both overall and for certain ports. The data and cruise calls are shared for free on kystdatahuset.no, where there are two dashboards allowing exploration of cruise statistics by year, county, municipality, location, nationality, and more. The charts act as filters, enabling comparisons of developments by month and, for example, by July when the time comes. The data is updated nightly and includes data from 2010.
Related Issues:
- Maritime Safety Analysis 2023
- National Action Plan for Maritime Safety
- Important Information for the Cruise Industry
- Consultation on Restrictions for Vessels Over 150 Meters
- Overview of Alternative Fuels for Shipping