Svalbard (Spitsbergen)

. Visitor numbers increased almost 50% between 2009 and 2014 and continue to rise . UK and international tour operators have increased trips to Svalbard in recent years, helping to fuel an associated increase in accommodation since 2012 . An increasingly popular adventure tourism destination, a sector showing significant growth within the tourism industry . Ideal for wildlife enthusiasts, adventure junkies and bucket-listers . New additions to hotels and restaurants are introducing competitive pricing . Finnair launched regular direct flights to Longyearbyen from Helsinki in June, 2016 . Written by an expert in the region who writes regularly on northern Norway for the press and who teaches Norwegian language and translation at University College London

Svalbard Travel Guide - Holiday advice and expert tips on Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and Jan Mayen, from Longyearbyen hotels, activities, expeditions and cruises, to wildlife and island flora. Also including suggested itineraries, Arctic exploration, Hornsund, Pyramiden, treks, kayaking, whale watching, polar bears and dog sledding.The Bradt guide to Svalbard, including Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land and Jan Mayen, is a unique, standalone guidebook to this evocative Arctic archipelago, a place that is plunged into darkness for four months each year and where there are 4,000 snow scooters for a population of just 2,500. This new sixth edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and offers new material on everything from adventure tours to accommodation, environmental change to restaurants. Also covered are the restoration of Barentsburg and the opening of Svalbard's historic mine to visitors Newly updated and amended, this edition reflects important recent changes in the archipelago, making it the perfect guide to a quintessential bucket-list destination. Possibly the most remote destination in the developed world, Svalbard is as off the beaten track as you can get in Europe today. It is the planet's most northerly settled land and the top (if not the end) of the world, and it was on and around Svalbard that most of David Attenborough's Frozen Planet was filmed. A trip to Svalbard easily lends itself to notching up geographic superlatives (most northerly kebab, most northerly souvenir shop, etc) and adventurous travellers seek out experiences such as husky driving and hikes across the permafrost. The main tourist period falls in Svalbard's brief summer, from June to August, when it's light around the clock and not very cold. However, increasingly popular for winter sports - especially because the next few years will enjoy unusually high Northern Lights activity - are the so-called 'light winter' months (March-May), when there is both sunlight and snow. The winter season (November/December-March) offers many possibilities for outdoor adventure - and the polar night is an experience in itself. Despite winter temperatures that can drop to over 40 below zero, Svalbard's glorious mountains, majestic fjords and sprawling valleys are the perfect setting for adventurous journeys out to the back of beyond. This brand-new edition of Svalbard provides all of the practical and background information you'll need to explore this wild place, turning the hostile into the hospitable.