Rapid Growth within the Baltic Cruise Region

The Baltic Sea region is one of the world’s fastest growing cruise products. During the last five years Baltic cruise destinations have experienced an average annual growth of 15%, compared to a 6% average worldwide. The region is thus gaining market shares.

Baltic cruise destinations are striding ahead in the cruise world. The number of cruise passengers in the Northern European region has doubled, and Baltic ports have reported a 15% average annual growth in the cruise market during the last five years. In comparison, the average annual growth worldwide amounts to 6%. Thus the Baltic cruise region is gaining market shares.

Cooperation is the Key
The Cruise Baltic Project was launched in September 2004 in order to consolidate this growth and ensure an even stronger future for the Baltic Sea region on the international cruise market. It is a unique three-year project which includes ten countries and 17 participating destinations. All the destinations and ports involved have committed themselves to implementing common standards for service and port facilities.

The rapidly growing number of cruises in the Baltic Sea region, as well as the tendency towards larger cruise liners, challenges the infrastructure and service standards at all destinations. It calls for cooperation across the local networks. Cruise Baltic Project’s strategy to sustain the region’s dramatic success as a cruise destination is to set up local cruise networks through which stakeholders in the cruise destinations work together to improve their infrastructure and facilities.

- A very good way to create a good relationship within a destination is to form a local cruise network. Regular network meetings give us the chance to meet the decision makers of the partners of the network, for instance hotels, museums, restaurants, the port etc. Getting to know each other makes it easier for us to approach each other with ideas, suggestions and problems, says Signe Adamsen, Project Director, Cruise Baltic Project.