Monday, April 20, 2015 - 09:28 by ce-press
Klaipeda is expecting 50 calls this year compared to 64 in 2014 but passenger numbers remain stable at 57,500 due to the increasing size of the vessels calling. The port can accommodate vessels up to 315m in length and 13.5m draught. The terminal has an annual capacity of over 0.5m passengers.
Klaipeda Port chief executive officer, Arvydas Vaitkus stated: “The uniqueness and distinctiveness of the Klaipeda region is proved by the increasing number of tourists. Klaipeda port’s cruiseshipping strategy is the extensive development of infrastructure to accommodate cruise giants and exciting shore experience to keep tourists actively engaged, allowing them to feel and to taste local culture”.
Close to the city, the waterfront - once the site of a shiprepair yard - is being reconstructed to preserve the maritime heritage and to offer entertainment and leisure activities for visitors.
Unlike so many in the Baltic, Klaipeda is not a capital city but has much to offer by way of nature including Unesco world heritage Curonian Spit, a 98km-long stretch of beach. Amber too features highly with all manner of opportunities from spas containing amber to amber bars and an amber museum 25km from the town. A more unusual tour is to the Soviet Nuclear Weapon Site built in great secrecy in 1960. With the increasing call from cruiselines for unique experiences, Klaipeda is well placed having many small villages in its vicinity. Local people are available to tell stories about their homes and Lithuanian farmsteads.
Lithuania, with a population of 2.7m, is getting quite a bit of press this year being selected as one of the 10 countries best to visit by the Lonely Planet and in the top five selected by the Huffington Post.
