Tourism

A journey westward was the start of Havila Holding’s engagement in the tourism sector. Now, the company has interests in travel and tourism both on land and at sea.

Opportunities materialised – and were seized. That was how Havila got involved in tourism, too.

From his days as a fisherman, Per Sævik knew people in the Faeroes with the same values as himself, and with the same eye for an opportunity. That was the start of a collaboration in the fisheries and offshore sectors, and later a joint investment in a hotels in Torshavn; Hotel Hafnia and Hotel Brandan. From this foothold in the Faeroes came the chance to invest in Smyril Line, whose ships carry passengers and cargo between Iceland and the Faeroes and the rest of Europe.

Passenger transport and hotels were key elements in the company’s further engagement in the travel and tourism sector.

The acquisition of Fjord1 encompassed not only day-to-day fjord crossings for local people, but tourist travel, too. Through Fjord1, Havila Holding became a co-owner of the companies Fjord Tours and The Fjords, which offer travel services to tourists primarily on the Norwegian west coast as well as the Norwegian domestic airline Widerøe. This chapter ended in 2024.

In its home town of Fosnavåg, Havila took part in the construction of what has become the Thon Hotel Fosnavåg. Then it bought hotels in Ørsta, Hornindal and Geiranger. Havila Hotels can therefore offer overnight accommodation, excursions and adventure all the way from the mountains to the fjords and the coast.

Thon Hotel Fosnavåg stands on the quayside at Fosnavåg Harbour. The hotel has 115 rooms, conference facilities and meetings rooms, as well as a restaurant overlooking the harbour where guests can watch the boats coming and going. In connection with the hotel, there is an indoor car park, concert venue and cinema.

Havila Hotel Ivar Aasen is located in Ørsta town centre, surrounded by the craggy peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps at the very head of the fjord. The hotel has 72 rooms, conference facilities and meeting rooms, as well as the Symra Restaurant.

Havila Hotel Raftevold stands on the shores of Europe’s deepest lake, the Hornindalvatnet, in Hornindal. The hotel has 44 rooms, conference facilities and meeting rooms, as well as the restaurant “Dølen Eteri”.

Havila Hotel Geiranger stands on the shores of Geiranger Fjord, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The hotel has 146 rooms and a buffet and à la carte restaurant. Guests can hire a mini electric car to explore Geiranger’s amazing scenery.

When the Sævik family diversified from fishing into offshore, knowledge of the sea and ship management was an important asset. The same applied when Havila Holding took its biggest step so far in the tourism sector: Kystruten, Havila Voyages.

Havila Voyages operates four of the elleven vessels on the traditional coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes. This service is still integral to the daily lives of people living up and down the Norwegian coast. But an ever growing number of travellers come from all over the world to experience salt sea breezes, rocky shorelines and unspoilt nature.

Havila Voyages’s new ships are the most eco-friendly to sail this route. With the world’s largest battery packs on board, they can cruise emission-free through Norway’s UNESCO World Heritage listed fjord system like Geirangerfjorden. Each ship can accommodate almost 500 passengers.