Svalbard to get support for tourism
Government setting aside NOK 25 million in subsidies for new development
Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB
Kayak paddlers in downtown Longyearbyen, Svalbard, in 2015.
NTB
The tourism industry on Svalbard has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, partly because the area has been subject to stricter infection control measures than the rest of Norway.
For this reason, the Norwegian government wants to establish a new subsidy program to help rebuild and restructure the tourism industry on Svalbard. Tourism companies there have a very limited local market, and they do not have access to local and regional funds in the same way as companies on the mainland.
Regulations for the proposed program are now being sent out for an open discussion with a short deadline, as the government wants the aid package in place at the new year.
(Translated by Lori Ann Reinhall)
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 11, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
