Friday, September 2, 2016 - 11:23 by ce-press
April 26 marked the arrival of the first cruiseship of Gothenburg’s season. A total of 34 calls on 18 ships are expected this year, carrying 60,000 passengers. This is fewer than has become normal but is attributable in part to competition from Denmark.
The consistently upward trend in Gothenburg, Sweden, was broken last year with the arrival of 50 calls compared with 72 the previous year. On the other hand the number of passengers was roughly the same at about 100,000 as the vessels were larger.
Jill Soderwall, head of cruise operations Port of Gothenburg, explained: “Thanks to their effective marketing, the Port of Gothenburg and Goteborg & Co have succeeded in putting Gothenburg on the map for several of the world's largest cruiselines. They have tested Gothenburg for a number of years and have been satisfied but now they are looking to vary their offering and a number have opted for other ports this season.”
A further explanation is tougher competition from its neighbour to the west. Danish ports, such as Skagen, are investing heavily in marketing and the construction of new berths for cruiseships. "Denmark also has a cost advantage as the cruiselines are not required to pay government fairway charges. In Sweden, fairway charges account for a significant proportion of the cruise lines' overall costs," said Soderwall.
The highlights of the year include a call from Koningsdam, the largest ship to call the port so far, Mein Schiff 5 and Marina.
Looking ahead, turnarounds are also on the agenda. "We are stepping up our efforts to reverse the trend. There is enormous potential for increasing cruise tourism in Gothenburg - the city's attractiveness and the fact that it is the largest port in the Nordic region has proved to be a winning combination. Cruise tourists are becoming younger and younger and want to make their own way around. Gothenburg is the ideal size for this and it is also close to an archipelago that is quite unique," said Petra Gamerdinger, cruise manager at Goteborg & Co.
Next year will be slightly better with 38 calls already booked.
