Tourism has become a linchpin to Longyearbyen’s community and economy over the last decade, with rapid growth in the last 5 years inparticular. Whilst thinking through these changes I saw a call for a conference asking for presenters speaking on the topic of ‘Overtourism’. I wondered, can we really call tourism in Longyearbyen overtourism, has… Read More
For once, I’m not talking about environmental regulations, though I very well could be, given the multitude of boundaries lurking on the map, but not visible in the landscape, but that’s another story… No, today I stepped over a fear and re-arranged my own values in doing so. To most people it would look like… Read More
I’ve recently returned from a short trip to Kirkenes in Northern Norway. I have quite a bit to say about the conference I was attending, but I thought I’d first share some thoughts and stories about the town and area I visited, as it was quite fascinating and was the source of lots of ‘firsts’… Read More
I’ve been following the dicussions in the local paper on the changes to the built environment in Barentsburg over the last few months. Having seen the stark contrasts between old and new last year, I could see where these debates were coming from and where the concerns and different view points on cultural heritage value,… Read More
It’s started. The big cruise ships have arrived in Longyearbyen, bringing more visitors than the normal population here in one go, for a few hours. Yesterday there were over 3000 plus hundreds of crew, today over 2000 plus 800 crew. Everyone seems to know when they will arrive and how many people are coming. This… Read More
‘Pyramiden has captured a part of my heart – so many secrets, stories, such beauty… Diolch yn fawr!’ Samantha Saville, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. The guest book at The Tulip Hotel, Pyramiden, in which I attempted to sum up the impossible, has entries from 1987 up to 2000 (I guess some tourists found it… Read More
I’ve had a day focussed on tourism today, one way or another. It’s actually ‘low season’ at the moment, between the busy snow-scooter, skiing – filled March and April and the summer season proper, although there are still visitors about here and there. So, like the tourist operators and service providers, I have been gearing… Read More
For once, I didn’t take many pictures today! Photography is, as Mia Hunt points out in a recent paper on urban photogrpahy as a research method, a way of being in, and producing versions of place[1] . This has all kinds of benefits from being able to tell a story visually as well as, or… Read More
Takes one to know one, so they say. In that spirit we booked ourselves on a guided walk up a glacier and into an ice cave as an exploration into tourist mode and a bit of a day off. Of course it wasn’t, but it was heaps of fun in the sun! Along the way… Read More
We walked out to the easterly town limits this evening. Mainly because I wanted to say ‘hei’ to the cute husky dogs along the way. As we arrived at the infamous polar bear sign however, two gentlemen came along and we watched as they appeared to be having great fun climbing the thing. Assuming they… Read More
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