Hot on the heels of the Norwegian fjords being voted best travel destination by National Geographic Traveller, comes news that Norway has just had its best cruise season ever.
In all it had 1.7 million cruise visitors in 2009, up 15.7% from 2008, which is not bad going in a recession. I don't know how many of those visitors were from the UK or Europe but I'm guessing it shows more people have been staying closer to home this year.
Conversely, cruise ships made fewer port calls in 2009 - 1,562, down from 1,634 in 2008. The forecast for 2009 is 1,444.
Interesting Norway fact number 1: Norway has more than 35 cruise ports along its 1,300 nautical mile-long coast line.
Interesting Norway fact number 2: Norway has such a long coastline that if you turned it upside down, so it is facing south, the tip of the country would be in Rome.
No wonder it's such a popular cruise destination. It's definitely the easiest way to visit.
Jane Archer
