Destination Vardø

Founded in 1789, Vardø is the oldest town in Northern Norway. The first settlement in Vardø dates back to the 1330s when Håkon Magnusson had Vardøhus Fort built to defend Norway’s eastern border.
Today’s fort is the furthest north in the world and was completed in 1738. In the 17th century, some of the worst witch trials in northern Europe were held in Vardø. Almost 80 women were sentenced to death by burning for practicing witchcraft and magic. In August 1944 the Allies bombed the town. Although much of the town burnt down many buildings did not succumb to the flames. Pomor trade was conducted from 1740 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Vardø was often called the Pomor capital (Link to map). Today Vardø has around 2,100 inhabitants.

Goal

Our privately-held companies Greater Arctic Holding and Marelius plan to build a resorts and a landscape hotels at Smelror in Vardø municipality (Link to map). We work daily  to develop Varanger into a year-round sustainable tourism destination!
 

Approach

We connect the dots and work with people with talent, energy, and passion. We build networks with people and companies worldwide.The investment frame is from 2M EURO to  50M EURO. Today we control approximately 200.000 square meters of land in the North-Varanger region. Invest in silence, mother nature, the arctic ocean, sustainable tourism, and contemporary architecture together with us.

Season

All year

Activities

King crab safari, birdwatching, Salmon fishing, deeps fishing, hiking, whale safari, dog sledding, northern light, midnight sun, biking.

Not so far away

Closest airport: Kirkenes (KKN) 3,5 hrs or Vardø 15 minutes (VRD). Closest harbour: Port of Vardø 20 minutes.  
Sail with Havila Voyages or Hurtigruten to or from Tromsø.

Related links

Visit Varanger
Accommodation Icehouse, Vadsø
Norwegian Scenic Route Varanger
Varangerhalvøya Nationalpark
Visit Norway – Varanger

Not so far away

By airplane

SAS
Norwegian
Widerøe
Finnair (Finland)

Cruise t/r Tromsø – North Cape – Varanger

Hurtigruten – Coastal Express
Havila Voyages

Approximate travel times to or from the north are: 35 hours

Perfect locations

We have some fantastic resorts concepts anchored to five unique locations and land areas in Varanger. Some of the locations are connected to old fishing villages, there are bird cliffs, shallow beaches, the possibility for different types of activities, and adventures within walking distance from the area.

Varanger is particularly suitable for developing world-class resorts and arctic tourist destinations. Our guests will experience summer and winter adventures from Hamningberg and East Cape to Nesseby and Tana in the west. We will bring them to the peninsula in the north and the Varangerfjord in the south.
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Reason to go

Aurora borealis
Whale and King crab safaris
Sami culture and experience
Virginity – untouched wild nature
Old culture and history
Steilneset Witch Memorial
Hornøya bird cliff
Cultural heritage area
Varanger Peninsula National park
Varanger National scenic route
Varangerfjord and the Barents Sea
East Cape
Explore space, place and silence

Why invest here?

In 2018*, the tourism industry in the north of Finland generated 1 billion Euros and entertained guests from 140 countries. It is estimated that in 2026 the turnover will be 3.6 billion Euros and create 10 million book-lodging days.
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Numbers from Statistics Norway in 2016 show that the tourism consumption for Norway was 170 million Euros. This is the second year with strong growth and for these two years, the increase was 17 percent. During the last years, there has been a marked increase in the tourist industry, especially in Troms and Finnmark. It’s just a matter of time when Nord-Varanger (Coast Of Lapland) will be a part of this market. * Before the pandemic.

Raw place with lots of space

Listen to the sound of silence

Local food / Seafood / Berries / Salmon

Arctic lights – Arctic nights

Part of Sápmi with Sami culture

Insta-friendly destination

Normal temperature

Fresh air and clean water

Only 8500 people in the region

Caring people, rural life, raw nature

Greater Arctic Holding AS 
Marelius AS
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Ottar Zahl Jonassen
m. +47 93824248
Ottar (a) marelius.no
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The Icehouse
Postbox 101
NO-9811 Vadsø