Norwegian effort to push “trophy sealing” flops

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2005:

OSLO–The Norwegian government opened the
2005 Norwegian sealing season to foreigners,
anticipating a trophy hunting bonanza, but “Only
17-18 foreign hunters signed on,” reported
Aftenposten on March 14, while protests against
the hunt were held outside 22 Norwegian embassies.
Pitching the hunt to tourists was not
popular with Norwegian tour promoters.
“It is completely unnecessary to provoke
world opinion with something as marginal as
tourist seal hunts,” Destination Ålesund &
Sunnmøre head of travel Terje Devol told
Aftenposten.
“If the media focus remains on the seal
hunt, we will see it in our tourist statistics,”
Norwegian Hospitality Association director Knut
Almquist told the rival newspaper Dagsavisen.