By
Rebecca Lambert |
In 2016, 4,333,529 passengers visited the Baltic Sea region, up 1.2% compared to the year before, according to the results of Cruise Baltic’s Market Review 2017.
The figures, which are based on data collected from ports in the Baltic Sea region, were unveiled at the annual Seatrade event taking place in Miami, US this week.
The report also revealed that the total number of turnarounds has increased by 14.1%. And that of all the ports in the region, Rostock saw the highest growth rate of 14% with 553,000 passengers compared to 485,000 in 2015. Copenhagen, the largest port in terms of passengers, increased too at a rate of 9.3% from 2015 to 2016.
Looking ahead to 2017, Cruise Baltic’s report expects passenger numbers to increase by 13% compared to 2016. Cruise calls, meanwhile, are expected to rise by 15.2%, reaching a total of 2,492 calls.
“I believe 2017 will prove to be a particularly significant and positive year for our Baltic Sea destinations – we are expecting the highest number of cruise guests and the highest number of turnarounds with several ports achieving record high numbers,” said Claus Bødker, Cruise Baltic director.
During Seatrade, Cruise Baltic also took the opportunity to share the details of its Strategy 2017-19, which focuses on innovation and sustainability for the region.
The strategy involves several initiatives, including a new branding process, investments to strengthen the cooperation with Chinese and German travel agents, and steps to improve the economic and social benefits of cruising for the Baltic destinations.
“I believe the new Cruise Baltic Strategy reflects the maturity of the network,” said Bødker at a press conference. “We have implemented some very solid work over the last 12 years and now is the time to use this strong platform and take the next step by continuing to be innovative in many aspects, such as sustainability, new markets and improved business intelligence.”