How to behave on an Arctic cruise

The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators has released a new animated video to show passengers the Do's and Don'ts of Arctic travel.

The 9-minute animation is intended to be on board the 25 vessels operated by the organization's members in Svalbard, Norway, Greenland, Canada and the Russian Arctic.

• On mobile? View the full 9-minute animation here

The advice includes the suggestions to "talk to people, not about them," and "Ask before you photograph. A hesitation means NO."

The video also reminds people to respect peoples privacy:"Keep a good distance from private houses and never glance or photograph through private windows."

In a news release, the organization says the video "shows visitors what they can and cannot do when traveling in the Arctic in a down-to-Earth and entertaining way."

Until now, the guidelines were presented in booklet form, with almost 70,000 copies distributed so far.

Funding for the project came from the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund.

Tourism officials in Nunavut, as well as people living there, have complained about the behaviour of some cruise ship passengers in the past.

The animation was produced by Norway's Raindog Studios.