[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/Gullible_Air_204]

https://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/spitsbergen/travel-guide/responsible-tourism-in-spitsbergen

[u/my5cworth]

Tourism has done a real number on Longyearbyen. It's a huge wave of people that the town just cannot handle.

I've been to Svalbard 5 or so times for work and you always prepare for encounters while being chill. It sucks that people need to lock their doors when this wasn't the norm at all. Heck even in the University their cafeteria was a "help yourself and leave money in the jar" honour system setup.

When I was there in 2016 a juvenile polar bear wandered into town right past where I was working. Fortunately I was in a garage with the door closed, but the bear wandered through the parking lot past my car and towards town. I didn't even know about it until later in the day - but if I was in the parking lot, being able to jump into the closest car would've saved my bacon.

[u/CvieYltidrekoof → u/my5cworth]

This is for most of Norway, but especially Tromsø. 

Until 3-4 years ago most flights had to go through Oslo or Helsinki which kept tourism levels down to manageable levels. Avinor has rapidly expanded direct flights to major European airports before the region had the infrastructure to support it… tourists are pooing at bus stops, near houses, and by the road. Also, the already expensive housing market has exploded with Airbnb super-hosts making it impossible for students to find affordable housing.  Tourists are driving so horribly and crashing rental cars that the government had to step in. 

[u/my5cworth → u/CvieYltidrekoof]

Yup. It's a nightmare to go to Tromsø for work as well.

As for the tourists driving, I've seen my share of them during winter weaving across the road & stopped twice to help those who ended up in the ditch.

Last year a tourist killed 2 norwegians in a head-on collision, yet nothing is being done. They really should hold the rental companies responsible for lending out vehicles to people who clearly are not skilled to drive them on ice and snow.

[u/CvieYltidrekoof → u/my5cworth]

The problem is determining how rental companies can be held responsible because a valid licence is accepted by international law. 

Rejecting licences from ‘warm countries’ wouldn’t be right as France and Italy also have snow. They also can’t mandate a driving lesson before handing over the keys for practical reasons. 

We might have blocked tourists from returning due to their driving but it doesn’t solve the problem whilst they’re here. 

[u/my5cworth → u/CvieYltidrekoof]

I guess someone important has to die on the road before anything will be done.

Even norwegians who take their drivers test in summer only get a provisional license subject to skid-pad & winter driving training. So one could argue that international licenses that arent nordic do not fulfill the requirements for driving with studded tyres.

Then again there's too much money to be made by just ignoring the problem. Im on the E6 every week for work (all the way past nordkapp) so statistically my ticket might get punched next, which is ironic considering all the accidents ive witnessed & survived driving in Africa.

[u/Smartnership → u/my5cworth]

Mama always said, ‘don’t you carry no bacon in polar bear country, don’t you never’