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Bank on the Baltic in years to come Ads are appearing weekly in the New York Times, promotional efforts are gaining awards, and cruise lines in the region are upgrading activities to bring new business and cruise line calls to destinations in “10 countries on a string.” As cruise lines increasingly divide their attention between North America and Europe, the Baltic region, and rich capital cities and beautiful scenery, is promoting itself heavily as a destination. Last fall at Seatrade Europe in Hamburg the network of 25 ports and cities was voted the Seatrade Insider’s prize of Destination of the Year. The group praised the region for its improved facilities and its attention to cruise ship culture made over the previous 12 months. The region is represented by Cruise Baltic, which has as members in 25 participating destinations and 44 partners. The group’s Baltic Cruise project has a goal of increasing cruise ship guests to the Baltic by 20 percent and hopes to grab a 4 percent share of the cruise ship market. In March, Cruise Baltic announced that the region has overtaken Alaska to become the number three most popular cruise region in the world after the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The lead partner in the effort is Wonderful Copenhagen, the Danish city’s official congress and partnership organization. The organization is in its third year of operations. Among the commercial partners are Scandinavian Airlines and the Rezidor Hotel Group. The world’s major cruise lines are also finding the market attractive. As the booking period for summer cruises began to wane in March, Crystal Cruises was advertising more than half a dozen itineraries, many of which either departed or originated in Stockholm. Other activities are taking place among cruise and ferry lines in the region. The Sweden based Viking line launched its Viking XPRS service, which has shortened the crossing time between Sweden and Finland. The new Viking Line ship has conference rooms, and business lounges. Its Bistro Bella has a fast service buffet, with an open grill so passengers can watch the chefs work. The Kippz bar has a large selection of Scandinavian vodkas. Also aboard the XPRS is a café restaurant called the Blue Deli with local favorites. The Café Xpresso has coffee and pastry in a comfortable setting. There is a café and dance hall called the Red Rose, and finally, the Viking’s Inn dispenses a selection of beers and has an outside seating deck for the summer. Viking line has also invested an additional €20 million (US$30 million) in its ferry the Isabella, adding a new duty free shop, and a wine and tapas bar on the ferry’s Deck 8. |
