Spitsbergen Autumn photography tour, 12 guests

Planet

We believe that people who come here and witness its beauty are more likely to make changes to help protect it. We wanted to find a more sustainable way to help people experience the natural beauty of the Arctic without disturbing the landscape or wildlife which lives there – and that is exactly what we have done. Smaller vessels = a smaller footprint. Our vessels carry just 12 people leading to a much more intimate experience and lower impact way to experience this precious part of the world.

Where we do undertake shore landings, we leave no trace. This is much easier to do in a small expedition vessel than the larger cruise ships with less impact on landing sites and the coastal seas. We make sure we take everything back on the vessel – including remnants of campfires. We crush our litter and recycling and take it with us.

As a member of AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators), we follow strict guidelines to minimise the impact of our voyages on the environment and wildlife. AECO’s guidelines, aim to: “Ensure that expedition cruises and tourism in the Arctic are carried out with the utmost consideration for the vulnerable, natural environment, local cultures and cultural remains, as well as the challenging safety hazards at sea and on land.”

People

Tourism is one of three industries in Svalbard (the others being mining and research) and is now the main source of jobs for local people, facilitating the long-term sustainability of Longyearbyen as a settlement.

Svalbard relies on tourists and we believe it is our duty to ensure that the tourism we’re responsible for in the Arctic is sustainable – low impact travel that connects people with nature and makes a positive contribution to the region and the world.

Income raised from tourism helps fund some of the essential conservation work carried out across the archipelago and plays an important role in raising awareness of the remote region. Our guests take what they’ve learnt and seen back home to share with their communities and inspire action globally to protect this special region.
We have ongoing relationships with local people, businesses and organisations working in conservation in the Arctic. We follow what’s happening on Svalbard closely and share updates on our communication channels and developing partnerships if appropriate. We support the local economy and encourage our guests to do the same, buying local souvenirs, staying locally before or after their micro cruise and contributing to charities which carry out vital work in the Arctic.

Our guests stay 3-4 nights in Svalbard on average and we put them in touch with local activities providers to support the economy - we suggest they take a day trip to Pyramiden which is a very interesting historical site or visit Svalbard Husky and enjoy a wagon husky ride around Longyearbyen.
Where possible we emply local guides to lead our tours.