Int’l summer cruise in Helsinki breaks records

The international cruise ship season that ended on 17 October 2018 was record-breaking in Helsinki, said a press release issued by the Port of Helsinki Authority.

About 520,000 cruise passengers arrived in Helsinki, posting a rise of 8.5 per cent or approximately 40,000 passengers than that in the previous summer.

During the season, 285 ships visited Helsinki, which was the second highest number of ship visits, beaten only by 2013 when there were 286 ship visits. It demonstrates that the number of ship visits is on the rise: “we are seeing larger and larger ships that can hold more and more people,” said the press release.

By origin the largest groups of travellers were Germans (25 per cent), North Americans (24 per cent), British (12 per cent), Canadians (five per cent), and Italians and Spanish (four per cent each). The distribution is similar to those of the previous years.

“As a capital, Helsinki is an attractive destination for cruise passengers. It is nice to receive visitors here, where everyone knows that the services work and the environment is taken care of,” said Port of Helsinki Communications Manager Eeva Hietanen.

The next year’s cruise season is likely to be opened on the May Day eve when the new cruise traffic quay will be opened in Hernesaari.

The quay was built for the largest cruise ships to accompany the current cruise quays in Hernesaari.