Last week the QM2 paid two visits to the Hanseatic metropolis, which is widely regarded as the second home port of the Queen of the Seas. And not without reason, in view of the 2011 schedule for Hamburg announced by Peter Shanks, President & Managing Director of Cunard Line, at a recent press conference on board ship.
The Italian shipping company MSC Cruises is equally impressed by the advantages of Hamburg as a home port. During the 2012 cruise season the company plans to station one of its ships in the Hanseatic city.
Hamburg. Cunard continues to expand its presence on the German market strategically. ‘The German market is the third most important market in the world and will grow still more in future. In 2010 we already had a total of 14,000 German passengers, and we are hoping to increase this figure to 25,000 by 2012,’ Shanks continued. The short QM2 cruise to and from Hamburg between 8 and 13 May carried 2,200 German passengers alone.
In 2011 not only will the QM2 be regularly seen in the Hanseatic city, with six visits to the port scheduled – the new Queen, the Queen Elizabeth, will also be making two flying visits to Hamburg. Compared with the previous year, this means that the number of Cunard ships calling in Hamburg will double in 2011.
Falk Hartwig-Rost, Managing Director of MSC Deutschland, is equally impressed by Hamburg as a cruise port. ‘Hamburg has a modern and attractive terminal. And what is more, it is the most beautiful city in Germany,’ said Rost at a press conference to mark the first arrival of the MSC Poesia in Hamburg last Saturday. MSC Cruises aims at ongoing expansion of its trips from Hamburg, and has medium term plans for stationing a third ship in the north. ‘Northern region cruises are a major growth market,’ Rost went on to say. So the ship that MSC plans to put into service in Hamburg in 2012 will concentrate on round trips from Hamburg going in the direction of the Norwegian coast.
