After a record 2013 cruise season, Stockholm is anticipating continued success this summer; with an estimated 274 international cruise ships heading to the city, carrying a total of around 470,000 passengers.
During the season, 36 ships plan to use Stockholm as their turnaround port. Over the past few years, the city has been developing its reputation as a luxury embarkation port amongst high-end cruise operators, thanks to its exceptional facilities and service. The majority of 2014’s planned turnarounds will be from ultra-luxury cruise brands including Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
Stockholm continues to expand its offering
Stockholm is regularly rated as one of the world’s best cruise destinations by international travellers and cruise companies. A recent survey showed that 97% of passengers go ashore in Stockholm and spend an average of 5.9 hours on land, compared to a European average of 87% and 4.8 hours.
Stockholm has a wide selection of activities and attractions, and is continually developing products to reach new target groups, such as families, MICE and LGBT market segments.
“Cruise passengers choose Stockholm for all it has to offer as Scandinavia’s premier travel destination, whether it be food, museums, design, shopping or music. Thanks to its compact size, the city is the perfect cruise destination for day trippers as well as turnarounds,” says Claudia Quas, project manager of Stockholm Cruise Network.
“Stockholm’s hotels and attractions are generally considered ‘high class’, and the city itself gets very high customer satisfaction ratings on shore excursions. Ever the dynamic city, Stockholm continues to entice passengers with new attractions and events each year. This year, we are also expecting more UK passengers than ever before, thanks to the exceptional prices on Baltic cruises currently in the market.”
Stockholm focuses on the environment
One of Stockholm’s key benefits for cruise lines and travellers is the port’s attitude towards minimising its impact on the environment. Stockholm is one of the only ports in the world that can manage both black and grey water at all piers, and offers cruise companies financial rebates for sorting their waste. Over the winter months, the port also invested considerably in improvements to these waste water collection facilities.
All expected cruise ship arrivals are included in the ship list on the Ports of Stockholm websitewww.stockholmshamnar.se/en and on the CruiseSthlm app for iPhone and Android, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play.
For more information on cruising to Stockholm, visit www.visitstockholm.com/cruise orblog.traveltrade.
