Swedish cruise port is to welcome 52 cruise calls and 1000,000 passengers this year
By
Rebecca Gibson |
AIDA Cruises’ AIDAcara opened the Port of Gothenburg’s 2015 cruise season when she called with 1,200 passengers on 4 April.
This year, the Swedish cruise port is set to welcome 52 cruise calls – a slight drop from the record 73 it handled in 2014 – between April and 18 October. It will also host one ship in December. Passenger numbers are expected to reach 100,000 passengers, a similar level to last year.
Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess is expected to bring the most passengers to the port this year (3,300), while the largest ship to call in Gothenburg will be Cunard Line’s 345m Queen Mary 2, which will bring 2,620 passengers. AIDA has 19 scheduled visits, making the line the most frequent caller.
“This year we will be welcoming more large cruise ships to Gothenburg than before,” said said Jill Söderwall, head of Cruise Operations at the Port of Gothenburg. “The general trend in the cruise industry is towards bigger ships carrying more passengers.”
Gothenburg is just one of many Scandinavian and Baltic ports that expects a fall in the number of cruise visits this year.
“The number of visits by cruise ships is down by around 5% throughout the region,” said Söderwall. “Instead, bigger ships have been brought into service carrying more passengers, which could be the result of new demands for cleaner and thus more expensive marine fuel in the North Sea and the Baltic.”
Despite the drop in calls, the port expects the cruise industry to generate a total of 70 million kronor for Gothenburg, with each cruise visitor spending an average of 700 kronor on food, shopping and entertainment. This could rise to 1,200 kronor if excursions are included.
Revenue is expected to be boosted further by the six ships that will remain in port overnight this year.
“Overnight stays are incredibly positive for the city and the port,” said Sara Sundaeus, cruise manager at Göteborg & Company. “They generate more revenue for the port and the same time the tourists get to explore the city at night time.”