Cruise lines spent €355.8 million, while passengers and crew spent €353 million in 29 Baltic ports
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Cruise lines, their passengers and their crew spent €708.6 million in the Baltic region in 2015, a rise from €685.9 million in 2013, according to a new study from Cruise Baltic and independent economic experts G.P. Wild and BREA.
According to the Overview of Cruise Tourism in the Baltic Sea Region study, cruise lines spent an estimated €355.8 million when calling at the 29 Cruise Baltic ports, while their passengers and crew spent an estimated €353 million. Around 41% (€145 million) went on tours and other ground transportation, while 19% (€67.8 million) was spent on retail goods. On average, passengers spent €167 per turnaround visit.
Cruise Baltic has also released its Visit Satisfaction figures, which indicated that 92% of visitors felt their visit met, or exceeded, their expectations. On a scale of one to five, the courtesy of employees and the region’s museums and historic sites received the highest mean scores – 4.2 and 4.18 respectively – with 81% of the survey respondents being either extremely, or very satisfied with each. Similarly, 80% of cruise visitors were extremely or very satisfied with the local transportation and the friendliness of residents, giving both an average score of 4.15. Guided tours received mean scores of 4.06 with 75% stating they were either extremely, or very satisfied.
“I am extremely pleased that this survey has shown, once again, that the Baltic Sea region has one of the highest satisfaction scores globally,” said Claus Bødker, Cruise Baltic director. “The results indicate that we are on the right course of achieving our vision, to create the world’s best cruise experience.”
Founded in 2004 with 12 destinations, Cruise Baltic is now a network of 29 cruise destinations in the Baltic Sea offering easy access to ten countries.