News Archive

Orsta in Norway is looking forward to Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo docking at its upgraded pier in August 2010. The first call to the renovated deepwater quay was from Saga Ruby in May 2009 when 96% of passengers on the ‘mystery’ cruise joined the three hour excursion to Saebo by the Hjorundfjord.

Ships of up to 260m in length can now visit but Siri Dahl of Fjord Destination Orsta says that the port will get a licence for ships up to a length of 300m by 2012 although the hope is for this to be resolved by 2011 when a number of calls are expected.

The 95m by 40m pier with a depth of 10m is 2km from the town centre but a free shuttle bus is provided. Twenty coaches can be accommodated at the pier at one time.

There are plans for a new pier to be built in the town centre but these have been put on hold due to the financial crisis.

Orsta is a fjord destination but can be reached with a minimum of deviation from the main coastal shipping lane, says Dahl.

Construction work at the new pier at Cruise Destination Skjolden-Sognefjord (CDSS) is ahead of schedule and is likely to be completed by the year end. Originally planned to take ships up to 340m in length, it has now been lengthened and reinforced to take ships of any size, says Iren Vatne, port director.

About NOK60m (E7.2m) was invested in the cruise-only pier which is 130m long but has outside mooring points. A total of NOK150m (E17.9m) has been invested in the project which includes cabins along the fjord and a marina. About 20 buses will be able to park at one time.

A grand opening is planned for May 2010. The port received 13 calls this year and is in line to receive the same again in 2010.

CDSS's goal is to sustain the geographical character of Skjolden and the surrounding area. It is the innermost port in Norway at the head of the longest fjord and at the foot of Norway's highest mountains.

The centre of Skjolden has been renovated in an authentic manner. The entire community has been involved in the planning process and is involved on cruise call days. Local guides include retired schoolteachers. The local band greets the ships and a market is set up with local farmers and artists selling their products.

Cruise passengers arriving in Tallinn, Estonia, this summer stepped off into a medieval market place. In its first year the project has been a success according to Helen Hinno, head of marketing Port of Tallinn, and the port is “planning to extend and continue with it next season”. Also new this year is the provision of free wireless internet network throughout the cruise area.

The Old City Harbour has received a record 305 cruise calls this year carrying 417,000 passengers. So far 279 calls - including seven from new-to-Tallinn vessels - and 400,000 passengers are estimated for 2010. Ships of up to 320m in length can call Tallinn.

The port is looking to develop Lootsi 10 located in the Old City Harbour where there are presently a few shops.

World Heritage City Karlskrona in Sweden has five calls and 2,800 passengers booked for 2010 so far, having received four calls and 2,700 passengers this year.

The port is a perfect first stop if starting from Kiel or Southampton, or maybe even Copenhagen, says Terje Pedersen, head of tourism at Visit Karlskrona.

The port is limited to receiving ships alongside with a length up to 150m alongside so most of the calls are at anchor. The downtown pier has a length of 150m and a draught of 7.5m. The ferry terminal pier has a length of 200m and a draught of 9m and is 15 minutes by bus from the city centre. For those at anchor - length 300m, draught 9m - the tender landing is fully sheltered and five minutes walk from the heart of this historic city.

There is no specific passenger terminal but the port puts on an 18th century welcome complete with a themed tent housing tourist information. The ISPS area is even decorated with fresh birch to make the area more welcoming.

A massive regeneration of the 200 hectares waterfront is underway at Aalborg, Denmark. Taking place on both banks of the fjord, this is already well on the way to completion in 2011 with parks, a shopping mall and hotel all part of the project. A new music hall is due to open in 2012.

The industrial port has been moved 10km out of Aalborg with cruiseships being able to berth in a city rather than industrial environment, explains Ole Brondum, sales and marketing manager Port of Aalborg.

There are four berths, all centrally placed in Aalborg, with a limitation for ships up to 250m in length and 9.4m draught. There is an air draught of 49m.

The port received four calls in 2009 and 4,350 passengers, has three and 472 passengers booked for 2010 and already five and 5,880 passengers in 2011. In 2011 Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is calling four times with Balmoral.

Extending the berthing potential at Douglas, Isle of Man, to enhance the existing infrastructure is under discussion although it is too early to provide any details according to Terry Toohey, cruise consultant Isle of Man department of tourism and leisure.

At present the maximum size of ship able to come alongside has a length of 156m and a draught of 6.5m, although tidal restrictions may apply.

There are two piers but all vessels over 156m in length have to anchor about half a mile from the new cruise vessel pontoon which is an eight minute tender ride away. There were seven calls and 3,786 passengers in 2009 with 13 calls and 6,310 passengers forecast for 2010.

 There will be three new companies calling next year including ResidenSea with The World. The season begins April/May and ends September/October.

Le Havre is adding new turnaround facilities for up to 500 passengers to its Cruise Welcome Centre (pictured) following a complete renovation of the hall, number 1, in 2007.

The E1m investment includes a 790m2 luggage storage area with X-ray machine, a tourist information desk, five registration desks, immigration and customs area and welcoming facilities such as tourist information desk, car rental, internet and souvenir shop. In addition it will be possible to accommodate 50 coaches within the immediate vicinity, explains Valerie Dubuc, cruise director Le Havre Tourist Office.

At present hall no 12 is being used temporarily for cruise operations until the new facilities are completed in March 2010. Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas made an inaugural call here on November 24.

Cruiseships are berthed at Pointe de Floride which has two piers: Pierre Callet with a length of 600m and draught of 11.5m and Roger Meunier with a length of 480m and 10.50m next to the cruise centre. Both piers will be served by the upgraded cruise welcome centre.

This year there were 50 calls and 90,000 passengers at the French port while for 2010 the forecast is for 60 calls and 100,000 passengers. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic is just one of the maiden calls scheduled for next year with the season beginning in February and ending in December.

Oslo is expecting 19 overnight calls next year which is a record for the Norwegian port. In total 154 calls are already booked of which nine are turnrounds. Passengers numbers are forecast at about 270,000 which is up from 260,000 this year on 149 calls (eight turnrounds).

The Port of Oslo, the City Development Department and Visit Oslo are looking at future pier development in Oslo including the possibility for at least one terminal for turnround acitivites, according to Margrethe Austad, marketing manager cruise at the port. A report will be submitted to the Municipality of Oslo who commissioned the work by May 1 2010.

At present the pier beneath the castle, Akershuskaia, can take the largest ships although there are some land limitations vis a terminal. In 2008 Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas turned round at Filipstad with the help of a tent. Revierhavna is close to the splendid new Opera House and is one of a number of other piers.

On a visit to Oslo in August, Timothy Littley, manager deployment & itinerary planning Holland America Line, said his preference would be for Akershuskaia (pictured) to be developed.

The French port of Nantes received six transit calls at the Nantes Wilson Cruise Terminal (pictured) and two at the Montoir Container Terminal this year carrying a total of 2,800 passengers. First time calls came from Delphin and Funchal of Classic International Cruises at the latter. For 2010 the numbers are looking the same according to Laurence Paitel, cruise manager at the port.

There are three terminals at varying distances from the high sea. The Nantes Wilson Cruise Terminal can take ships up to 205m in length and has a depth of 7.5m. It is four hours from the high sea. The container terminal is just one and a half hours away and can take ships up to 290m length and 12.5m depth. Direct from the high sea is the Saint-Nazaire Terminal which can take ships up to 180m length and 8.5m depth.

A free shuttle bus is provided for passengers and crew into Nantes or Saint-Nazaire town centre and a tourism hospitality desk is provided on board. Paris is two hours by train and the Nantes International Airport is within easy reach of the port.

The Port of Lisbon, Portugal, is investing in a new quay of 670m in length which will be linked to the Santa Apolonia quay of 400m, according to Manuela Patricio, cruise and nautical deparment. The first phase will be in use next year for smaller ships with the final phase being concluded in 2011. The depth will be 12m and there will be no restrictions in the turning basin. A new terminal is also to be built in the same area.

Homeporting operations at the port increased this year with the weekly turnround of Pullmantur from April to November which will be maintained in 2010.

Total calls numbered 298 carrying 408,000 passengers in 2009 with 316 calls and 480,000 passengers already confirmed for next year. In Lisbon the booking system is first come first served says Ms Patricio.

“We have three cruise terminals and so we manage to accommodate all the cruiseships the best way, bearing in mind their depths, length and capacity combining them with the quay and cruise terminal features and also the ship’s operation,” she explains.

 Early indications at the Port of Dover, Kent, are that it will be breaking all records with cruise bookings for 2010, according to Kate O’Hara, head of commercial and marketing. She says: “Dover’s investment in state of the art cruise facililties, excellent transport links and award-winning customer service is paying dividends.”

Certainly the line up of new operators to come to the port in 2010 confirms this view with Disney Cruise Lines, AIDA Cruises, Seabourn Cruises, TUI Cruises, Ibercocruceros and Pullmantur all calling for the first time.

This year 140 cruiseships called bringing 273,817 passengers while 2008 saw an increase on 2007 of 12 more ships and 62,000 more passengers.

The Kent Cruise Partnership is a group dedicated to maximising cruise passengers’ experience of the county and its efforts are reaping rewards. “Cruises are making a significant contribution to the Kent economy and this is a market which is continuing to grow year on year,” said Fran Warrington, head of Visit Kent, a member of the Partnership.

More than E20m has been invested to improve the port of Rostock’s infrastructure for cruiseships over the past five years and there is more to come.

Construction is due to begin at the end of December on a E23m new road link from the Warnemunde Cruise Centre at berth P7 (length 276m, depth 8.38m) to the inner city motorway due for completion in April 2011. From here it is about 230km to Berlin.

An additional E2m will be invested in installing grey water disposal facilities at all three cruiseship berths by 2011. The whole system will have a capacity of 54 m3 per hour from the cruise ships, according to Jorg Litschka of Rostock Port.

The final phase of construction at berth P8 was completed on schedule for the 2009 cruise season giving the port two berths able to accommodate all sizes of cruiseships. Berth P8 has a length of 355m and depth of 8.53m, with a further 100m at a depth of 6.2m beyond a slight bend. A channel between the Alter Strom and the shipyard basin was newly constructed along a length of 40m.

In 2009 there were 113 transit calls and 160,000 passengers. With 15 turnrounds from AIDA Cruises’ 69,203gt AIDAluna and partial turnrounds on Norwegian Cruise Line’s 92,000gt Norwegian Jewel, passenger numbers rose to 200,000. The port is expecting similar numbers in 2010.

Falmouth is witness to the trend for larger ships and intent on catering to their needs. This year saw 33 calls and 21,211 passengers visiting while for 2010 there are fewer calls at 21 but a similar number of passengers at 21,324.

The port is working on getting a new deeper channel dredged to a minimum of 8.3m and a berth extended to 400m length and dredged to 9.5m according to Mike Reynolds, port operations director. The new facility is designed around the 154,000gt Freedom of Sea-class vessels from Royal Caribbean International.

A £0.5m (E0.56m) environmental impact assessment has been completed and applications have been made for dredging licences. With the harbour and bay being designated a European Union Special Area of Conservation, costs have doubled to almost £30m (E33.6m) to allow for environmentally sensitive dredging methods and bringing contaminated spoil on to land for treatment/disposal.

However with the support of local authorities and private funding, Mr Reynolds is hopeful that the project will be completed by summer 2012 at the latest.

At present, the majority of ships come alongside at one of the three quays available which range in length from 200m to 235m with a maximum depth of 8m. There is anchorage for ships of less than 200m length a 15-minute tender ride away with larger ships 20 minutes away.

Ships of any size can visit the Port of Cork as demonstrated by the arrival of Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 on October 21.

This was just one of 56 calls in 2009 when 82,286 passengers and 33,878 crew visited the port. Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas (pictured) also called.

To date, 50 calls are scheduled in 2010 carrying an estimated 85,600 passengers and 36,000 crew.

A dedicated cruise berth, Cobh, was completed in 2007 which can accommodate the largest cruiseships afloat. It has a length of 350m, a depth alongside of 9.1m and 11.2m in the approach channel. Ongoing shoreside development is being considered according to Captain Michael McCarthy, commercial manager, which he says will help position the port as a future turnround port.

There are two further berths. Cork City has a length of 152m with a depth alongside of 8.8m and 5.2m in the approach channel. The deepwater berth at Ringaskiddy has a length of 360m, a depth of 13.4m and 11.2m in the approach channel.

Passengers to Guernsey are now able to disembark at a cruise pontoon 600 metres from St Peter Port town centre. Completed in 2008 it is only five minutes’ tender ride away.

In 2009 a meet and greet marquee was established to welcome 42,021 passengers on 45 calls this season.

While sheltered anchorages of 10m depth and over are only a short distance from the pierheads, the port says that “roadsteads are exposed to the south east and generally speaking conditions become marginal for boat work above force 5 when the wind is from an easterly or southerly direction”.

Maximum ship dimensions for the berth are 140m length and 5m draught. The range of tides goes from spring tides of 7.8m to neaps of 3.4m with conditions at the berth varying dramatically.

The port is capable of handling two large ships, such as Princess Cruises' Sea Princess (pictured), at a time.

The Icelandic fishing village of Djupivogur joined Cruise Europe in September. Numbering 450 inhabitants it is making a concerted effort to encourage cruise calls. A two year marketing project has resulted in Spirit of Adventure and Maasdam calling this year carrying 1,600 passengers while in 2008 calls were zero. To date two calls and 800 passengers are confirmed for 2010 and one for 2011.

One of the goals in the “nearest future is to build a suitable terminal for cruise passengers” says Bryndis Reynisdottir, marketing manager at the port. Improving facilities over the next few months and years is a priority either in building or refurbishing suitable housing which will be used for activities linked to cruiseships, for example handicraft stores.

Smaller ships can berth alongside the 75m-long quay where the depth is 9m or anchor in the fjord which has a two-mile turning basin and a depth of 60m.

Eidfjord is looking forward to a bumper year in 2010. Calls will be up 40% from 33 in 2009 to 47 next year and passengers up 79% from 32,000 to 58,000.

Helge Moller of Cruise Destination Hardangerfjord says the success is “partly due to quite a lot of new tour offers to the cruiselines and partly because we have now organised our marketing in a far more effective way”. In addition there is “serious congestion in some Norwegian ports when Eidfjord still has plenty of space and a more relaxing atmosphere”.

The 120m-long quay with a depth of 11m was inaugurated in May 2005. Ships up to 360m in length can be accommodated. Most recently a crew service centre has been created with free access to wireless broadband which also applies to the whole port area including visiting vessels.

About £100,000 (E109,276) has been invested in shore excursions including sledges at the Folgefonna glacier and kayaks on the lake. The largest investment however is in Norway’s most visited natural attraction, the Voringfoss waterfall.

About £10m (E10.9m) is being spent on upgrading the access and security as well as significantly improving the facilities. An architect competition has taken place and it is estimated that the project will be completed in 2012/2013.

Seydisfjordur has had a record year with 15 calls and 9,000 passengers compared to eight calls and 2,500 passengers in 2008. Next year the port expects 15 calls and 7,500 passengers.

The facilities are suitable for ships up to the size of 109,000gt Grand Princess according to staff captain Timothy Stringer who visited this summer. There are two piers, North/Bjolfsbakki and South/Strandarbakki, with lengths of 150m and 170m respectively. The maximum allowed draught in the 450m turning basin and alongside the pier is 9m.

There is a passenger terminal at the South Pier with gangway access at the upper level. This is occupied on a Thursday by the ferry, Norrona, which sails year-round between Europe’s continent and Iceland.

The capacity for shore excursions, buses and guides are better suited to vessels of 800-1,200 passengers according to Alla Borgporsdottir, marketing manager Port of Seydisfjordur, who explains that the East Iceland region is very small with only 10,000 inhabitants.

Amongst the ships to call this year were Marco Polo, Tahitian Princess, Maasdam, Braemar and Spirit of Adventure.

Invergordon is looking at a 20% increase in passenger numbers and gross tonnage for next year following on from 46 calls bringing 48,787 passengers in 2009. These calls have resulted in an injection of in excess of £7m (E7.5m) into the Highland economy this year.

Capt Iain Dunderdale, cruise development manager for Cruise Highlands, the marketing arm of Cromarty Firth Port Authority, said: “In these difficult times, it is fantastic to see a significant boost to the local economy, highlighting the importance of the cruise business.”

Calls during the year included a maiden call and three more from 113,651gt Crown Princess (pictured), as well as AIDAaura, Norwegian Jade, Eurodam and Regatta.

The port of Invergordon on Cromarty Firth is an overnight cruise from Leith (Edinburgh), Lerwick, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Thorshavn (Faroe Islands), Stavanger and Bergen in Norway.

There are three berths: Admiralty Pier can and has accommodated Queen Mary 2, up to 345m length and a draught of 10.5m; Saltburn Pier up to 300m length and draught of 10.5m; Service Base Pier up to 300m length and draught of 9m.

More than 40 cruise ships so far are expected to visit the Shetland port in 2010.

Lerwick Harbour is expecting another busy cruise season next year after a highly successful 2009 during which a number of milestones were achieved. More than 40 cruise ships so far are expected to visit the Shetland port in 2010.

This year has seen the largest cruise ship yet at Lerwick, with two visits by the 102,587 gross tonnes Costa Magica which, on her second call, brought 2,922 passengers, the highest total for any vessel yet at the port.

By the end of the season this month, 46 cruise ships are scheduled to have visited this year, with around 24,000 passengers, both up on 2008.

In August, Lerwick celebrated the 1,000th cruise ship visit since the first noted in official port records in 1928.

Lerwick Port Authority Chief Executive, Sandra Laurenson, said: “It’s another significant season for Shetland, including the special milestones achieved, with the 1,000th cruise ship and the largest vessel yet.

“With more than 430 cruise ships and almost 175,000 passengers calling at Lerwick since 2000, this year rounds off a great decade underlining its increased popularity as a port-of-call. It’s a firm basis on which to continue building our market.

“We’re now looking forward to a busy start to the next decade, backed by a marketing programme promoting the harbour and Shetland’s many attractions.”

The Port Authority is a member of the Cruise Scotland organisation, launched earlier this year, and is participating on its stand (729) at the Seatrade Europe exhibition and conference in Hamburg, Germany, this week (15-17 September).

At 60 degrees north and at the crossroads of the North Sea and Atlantic, the Shetland Islands, with their warm welcome, are famous for their Scandinavian and Scottish heritage, marine life, seabird colonies, cliffs and beaches, with the Shetland Museum and Archives on Lerwick’s waterfront among the many other attractions.

In recognition of the need for more interactive liaison with the consumer, cruise lines and their partners and its desire to keep abreast and ahead of the industry, Cruise Europe is today relaunching with a completely new website and corporate identity. Dirk Moldenhauer, chairman Cruise Europe, says: “We live in a time where everything changes and develops faster than ever, so we must be able to adapt to what is going on in the world quickly and professionally." Cruise Europe recognises that the web is the only way to provide up to the minute information and also the growing demand for paperless offices.

"We think it is very important to keep up with the trend, especially of US cruise lines, where companies such as Holland America Line are reducing their costs and moving towards totally eliminating all printed matter.” The website will be much more elaborate with over 400 pages and 500 web links. It will include information for the cruise lines, an intranet for the members plus access to information about the Cruise Europe regions and destinations for the consumer.

Additions will be a media gallery, more than 300 FAQs, statements from cruise passengers and a 'what's on' page listing more than 300 events. In the fall, a news service will be introduced online. With 106 members from Nordkapp in the the north to Lisbon in the south of Europe, the association which began in 1991 with 27 ports has issued a brand statement: ”Cruise Europe is an association committed to promoting Northern and Western Europe as a world-class destination. Representing a strong network, it is dedicating marketing expertise to serve both its members and the industry. The unique qualities of each port will be accentuated as Cruise Europe creates the cruise destination of tomorrow.”

Cruise Europe's annual statistics demonstrate the incredible growth taking place in the region. In 2008 7.86m passengers were recorded on 6,333 calls while in 2007 there were 6.44m passengers on 5,684 calls. Despite the global recession, figures for 2009 are coming in strong. Mr Moldenhauer says: "Talking to our member ports, it looks as though the figures for this year will be about the same as 2008 which shows just how well the cruise sector is coping with the financial crisis but also what a popular destination Northern and Western Europe has become." For further information please contact:

Dirk Moldenhauer, Chairman, Cruise Europe

Cruise Europe

c/o Hamburg Cruise Center

Steinstrasse 7

20095 Hamburg

Germany

Phone +49 40 30051 393

Mobile +49 172 443 56 93

Fax +49 40 30051 396

www.cruiseeurope.com

This time 105 representatives from 63 Cruise Europe ports were present at Seatrade in Miami which is similar attendance as in previous years. One might ask, what would Seatrade be without Europe, the national pavilions of France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Holland, and not forgetting the Cruise Europe Street.? Looking at the European presence in Miami each year brings out the many qualities Europe offers the cruise passenger as a destination.

The Cruise Europe AGM was held in Vigo on 22- 24 April with 60 representatives from the various member ports taking part. The Chairman for Cruise Europe, Dirk Moldenhauer, opened the meeting by thanking Ms. Dolores Rois, the Commercial Manager of the Port of Vigo, for the excellent preparations for the meeting and their generous hospitality. Cruise Europe currently has 101 member ports and 5 associate members. Monica Bengtsson, the chair person of the marketing committee, informed the meeting about the progress being made on developing a new corporate identity for the association and the new website. The aim is to introduce the new identity to the members at SEATRADE in Hamburg next September.

Monica emphasised that Cruise Europe is an organisation committed to promote Europe as a world class cruise destination. She continued by saying that Cruise Europe's function is to create awareness, attention and interest in the various destinations represented by the organisation, but the destination itself is left with the task of selling itself successfully to the cruise lines. Monica also pointed out that the association functions as a platform and a network for the destinations that speaks with a single voice to the industry and the European Union.

There was a general consensus among members at the AGM that the website is of an utmost importance to the association and that the updated version should be up and running as soon as possible.The overall structure of the site is divided into: cruise lines, media, members and the consumer. This was the last Cruise Europe AGM for Per Schmidt, Copenhagen, who went into early retirement.The Chairman thanked Per for his excellent contribution to the organisation during the last 15 years. Kattina Glasinovich, Executive Director, decided to step down from her position and the AGM thanked her for her very valuable work during her time in office.

For the next year the Cruise Europe Council consists of the following people:

• Margrethe Austad Port of Oslo, Norway
• Henrik Cars Port of Stockholm, Sweden
• Dirk Moldenhauer Port of Hamburg, Germany
• Dick de Graaff Port of Amsterdam, Holland
• Iain Dunderdale Port of Invergordon, Scotland
• Michael McCarthy Port of Cork, Ireland
• Ágúst Ágústsson Port of Reykjavík, Iceland
• Bente Saxon Port of Ålesund, Norway

Floating Members

• Valerie Dubuc, Port of Le Havre, France
• Arnt Möller Port of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Cruise Europe´s Mangement Team
• Dirk Moldenhauer, Chairman, Hamburg
• Viebeke Jörgensen, Executive Director, Århus (New)
• Nadine Palatz, Secretary/Treasurer, Hamburg
• Monica Bengtsson, Marketing Manager, Helsingborg

Internationl Cruise Shipping Workshops in Vigo
The 2009 AGM adopted a new format. Instead of the traditional seminar format, members were offered four different
workshops.The AGM delegates were divided into four groups and each group attended four different workshops.
The four topics discussed in the workshops were:

• Land Operations: Shore - Ex & pre-post tours
• Market Research
• Innovative Marketing Strategies
• Port Service, Operations & Security

For each workshop up to four speakers presented the topics from various angles and led the discussions with the delegates. Judging by a brief survey conducted among the participants, the general conclusion is that this is a good format, although it may need some refining.

The speakers for the workshops were:

• Hugues Lamy, Cruise Mgt. Consultant, Director
• Ressel Daya, Disney Cruise Lines, Director Security
• Chris Perry, Fred Olsen Cruise Line, Operation
• Capt. André Mahr, Aida Cruises, Senior Superintendant
• Mark Robinson, Intercruises, Managing Director
• Bruce Krumrine, Princess Cruises,VP Shore Operations
• Belén Wangüemert, RCCL, Director for Spain
• Ralph Grizzle,Avid Traveler Media, Director
• Emiliano González, MSC Cruises, General Director Spain
• Mario Martini, Iberocrceros, President
• Han van Midden, Policy Research Corp. Consultant
• Chris Ashcroft, Ashcroft & Associates, Editor
• Peter Wild, G.P..Wild & Brea Consultants, Director

Space restrictions do not allow much elaboration on the discussions during the workshops. An interesting point, however, came up in the marketing session. Most of the ports have been focusing their attention on the cruise lines when marketing their destinations. In this particular workshop, however, the focus was reversed, as can be seen below:

a) Focus on the travel agent

b) Focus on the Consumers

c) Focus on the cruise lines

The powerpoint presentations from the workshops can be viewed on the webpage: www.cruiseeuropeagmvigo.com

The Mayor of the Ålesund Municipality of Ålesund, Björn Tömmerdal, visited Seatrade in March this year. He told Cruise Europe News that he is both interested in learning more about the industry and keen to his visit is also meant to be a support to the people from of Ålesund by representing the destination in Miami. „Admittedly,” says the mayor, „cruise visits generate perhaps 3% of the port's total revenue and, as such, do not greatly effect affect the port's economy to any extend.

But the positive thing for Ålesund is that we have had an incredible fantastic growth whenincrease it comes toin the number of visiting vessels. In 2008, we had 75 vessels, and if we compared to just that to 5five years back it waswhen we had less than 50. Our goal is to have 100 cruise ships visit Ålesund during the season and that is a tough aim’s an ambitious target.