Doing business in the Arctic

Honningsvag is the northernmost town of Europe, a town that overlooks the Norwegian Polar Circle and increasingly attracting more tourists from around the world. Gloria and Jose Mijares Pamplona, Zaragoza and a Palencia with a long experience as tour guides, decided to bet on this remote, 5,000 kilometers from Spain and took their project there, a local five degrees below zero where the protagonist was the absolute ice.

From tables to chairs, through the walls, the bar or the logo "recreate the experience of the Arctic during the summer months," says Pamplona from Honningsvag. "The area has many business opportunities."

Thaïs Gutiérrez his article published in ADN.es, in 2004 and after many ups and opened their premises, the first ice bar in Norway. "When we decided to open the bar, there was only one similar in Europe and was in Stockholm, so it was a real revolution for the area," says Pamplona.

Experience has proved exhausting but very satisfying. "We had so many problems to think about it today when we say never again to start this adventure," says Pamplona. Now, however, said that "it was worth."

"It is not a local standard"

Since the opening of the Arctic Ice Bar, liked the idea. The local won the Best Tourist Project in North Norway the year of its opening and now, after an investment of more than 600,000 euros, the business is going well, as those responsible. "What we offer is not a bar to drink something normal," says Pamplona, "but an interactive experience Arctic, a window to the northern winter. Here there is only ice, snow and reindeer skins," he says.

Gloria and Jose decided to expand their business and the bar has installed a shop where they sell souvenirs related elÁrtico, thus expanding its turnover and its customers. Its business also includes the organization of trips to the Arctic Circle buildings and advise and make ice for any company concerned, now that they have become experts in the cold. The bar is open from April to September and spent the winter months to promote its business throughout Europe.

Global warming consistent with the melting of the polar regions could be a serious problem for the business of Gloria and Jose Mijares Pamplona in the Arctic. So far, all the ice out of their local lakes located around the interior of Lapland where temperatures around -30 degrees in winter. But both entrepreneurs recognize their concern about the rising temperatures that are suffering from these areas on the planet. "It is obvious that if temperatures continue to rise we will have problems because the lakes are not frozen as they do now," confesses Pamplona.