Anna Karlsdóttir

Anna Karlsdóttir is a Docent in Human Geography and Tourism Studies at University of Iceland. She has conducted research on cruise ship tourism development in the North Atlantic and the Arctic since 2003. Her interest in seaborn tourism to remote coastal areas grew out of her PhD on coastal community transition in Iceland and the Atlantic. Tourism in the Arctic has been on the rise with the exception of the pandemic period. Mass tourism, like the arrival of ever larger cruise ships, puts a stress test on tourist destinations. Not least more remote communities with lack of infrastructure capacity.  Increasing traffic, size of ships and various risks are amplified.

While cruise tourism may generate needed income in many remote coastal communities, there is both a risk of crowding out effect to other more lucrative tourism sectors and that environmental and cultural features of destinations will lose appeal. Questions also arise about socio-cultural sustainability. Climate change, retreating sea ice and the demands of their clients means that ships venture further as last change tourism. Recent incidents provide a first glimpse of the challenges to safety where 95 Cruise ships were recorded alone in the Polar Code area in 2023 (ASTD).

What has changed in cruise ship arrivals in 20 years? How can numerous studies focusing on individual spots rather than connecting between places and countries be brought together to enhance knowledge on this important topic. How have ideas about the impact of this type of tourism in the communities of calls in different Arctic ports changed and what are the most urgent questions regarding sustainable cruise ship tourism in the Arctic and how do they translate to policy responses?

She leads an upcoming book collection on community impact of cruise tourism to remote communities in the Circumpolar Arctic.