Today’s geopolitical situation impacts industries and people around the world, but especially the people of Ukraine are affected. The current restrictions and boycotting towards Russian products and destinations shows how the global community supports the Ukrainian people in this difficult time. The situation affects the cruise industry as well, where the global position of the Baltic Sea region as a cruise destination is challenged because St. Petersburg no longer receives calls. Despite these new challenges there are, however, still positive outcomes from 2022.
In 2022 the Baltic ports welcomed 3,449,743 cruise guests, which is an increase of almost 257 % compared to 2021. This number is still lower than 2019, the last ‘normal’ year, but has improved significantly since the pandemic. The total number of calls also increased from 648 in 2021 to 2,415 in 2022 and there were calls to at least one Baltic port every month in 2022. According to Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, this is a very positive outcome and amongst others a result of the strong collaboration within the Cruise Baltic network.
“We are working closely with our partners to introduce initiatives that will bring more cruise guests to the Baltic Sea region and secure the market position of the region. We are pleased that despite the challenges we are facing, the number of calls has increased significantly compared to 2021, which indicates a strong collaboration within the Cruise Baltic network, “says Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, Chairman for Cruise Baltic.
Cruise Baltic have already implemented actions to help the destinations navigate in this uncertain geopolitical situation, and the network is currently creating a new strategy with a special effort towards the American market to fortify Cruise Baltic’s market position in the new circumstances.
“Building our new strategy is a process where we need to think ahead but at the same time, we need to take the current situation into account. The Cruise Baltic network represents the interests – and the strengths – of both large and small destinations across different countries, and this will naturally be reflected in our new strategy. The strategy will also highlight our sustainable actions and ways to secure the region’s market position in a new tomorrow,” says Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, Chairman for Cruise Baltic.
The predictions for 2023 are still uncertain due to the geopolitical situation, but the new strategy will be revealed in 2023.
Tags: Baltic sea, Cruise Baltic
