What is Visit Hammerfest doing to develop a sustainable tourism industry in the Hammerfest region?
Visit Hammerfest is an office consisting of 4 employees as of 2022. We are eco certificated as an Environmental Lighthouse. If you want to change the world, a great place to start is by looking at yourself. Read more about the certification here: https://eco-lighthouse.org/
We are also working to get a comprehensive destination strategy for the municipalities of Hammerfest and Måsøy in 2022, which is a comprehensive project supported by Innovation Norway. For us, it is natural to prioritize strategies that lead to a sustainable destination development of the region. When the Masterplan is available, a major environmental project awaits. Namely the process of getting the "Mark for Sustainable Destinations" from Innovation Norway. This process usually takes between 2-3 years, and is an extensive work that should cover the entire destination.
"Working for a sustainable tourism means taking care of the needs of people living today without destroying future generations' opportunities to meet their needs. Themes such as nature, environmental and climate impact, interaction between tourism and local communities - and the industry's local "Economic value creation is central to understanding sustainable tourism."
Read more about the brand here: https://www.innovasjonnorge.no/no/tjenester/reiseliv/market-for-barekraftig-reiseliv/
In 2021, Visit Hammerfest launched the local quality brand "Approved by Visit Hammerfest". This is a brand that allows you as a guest to see which tourism companies that are serious and take part in organized tourism. In a country like Norway with the right of public access - there is unfortunately a problem with companies that capitalize on our natural resources, without taxing to Norway or leaving any value locally. By supporting the actors we have stamped "Approved by Visit Hammerfest" - you are supporting registered companies that contribute positively to the local community. Read more about the brand here: https://visithammerfest.no/en/inspirasjon/approved