Oslo is expecting six calls this October and Christmas calls in December are quite possible due to the port having no problems with ice. Next year there will be only four months without cruise calls.
By the year end, Oslo will have welcomed an estimated 310,000 passengers on 174 calls. The nationality split is different this year compared to former years. About 100,000 passengers are from Germany with AIDA Cruises making 39 calls, of which 29 have been overnight stays.
About 38,000 are British and about 34,000 are US citizens. Italians account for about 30,000 passengers with Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises beingn frequent visitors to the Norwegian city.
Only a couple of years ago the Americans were the biggest group of cruise passengers to Oslo – more than 80 % of the total. “The Europeans have really started to choose cruise vacations, which is shown in our statistics,” comments Margrethe Austad, marketing manager cruise, Port of Oslo, adding that analysis shows that in 2015 there will be more Europeans than Americans taking cruises.
Norwegians are also increasing in numbers with 18,000 estimated this year. Austad says: “This is due to the fact that Royal Caribbean International has turned its ship, Vision of the Seas, in Oslo this summer. Many Norwegians found it comfortable to walk down to the pier at Filipstad and sail out to St Petersburg, around the British Isles, or to Amsterdam.”
For next year there are already 194 calls booked with an estimated 330,000 to 350,000 passengers due to visit.Modest surveys show that each cruise passenger will spend NOK 1,500 (E194) which is of interest to both the city and the port.
