Fined for not registering tour plans
The Governor has imposed a fine of NOK 100,000 on a French tour operator for failing to give notice of tour plans within eight weeks before the tours started.
The French tour operator has been fined for breaching regulations on tourism, field arrangements and other travel activities on Svalbard § 8, which states that notification of planned tour arrangements must be submitted to the Governor within eight weeks before the arrangement starts.
As a result of the need for assistance for the medical evacuation of a tour participant from Luitpoldbreen on 8 April 2024, a tour party from the company was checked by the Governor, where it was discovered that the tour operator had not submitted a tour plan.
- The purpose of the tourist regulations and the system of tour notices is, among other things, to ensure the safety of tourists and other travellers in the field. In this case, the tour operator had not notified the Governor about any tour plans in Svalbard ahead of the season. The group was therefore ordered to cancel the tour and return to Longyearbyen, in addition to the tour operator being given a corporate penalty, says police attorney Magnus Rindal Fredriksen.
The tour operator has been fined NOK 100,000 for the violation. The fine has been accepted.