Service standards ensure good cruise experiences

- Regardless of which harbour cruise ship passengers visit, we will ensure the same superb experience, says Ole Andersen. The Baltic region is the only cruise region that sets minimum requirements for its members. Cruise Baltic Project has made its service standards its unique stamp of quality.

Three years ago many of the Baltic cruise destinations faced a similar challenge. The destinations were welcoming more and larger cruise ships, yet the harbours were not prepared for such a fast growing market. The solution was for the destinations to work together in a partnership in which their experiences were combined and developed to ‘best practice' with the starting position in the positive experiences they had to offer.

Cruise Baltic Project has gathered together cruise destinations from around the Baltic Sea to form a network that is not just promoting itself as a single entity for current and potential partners, but also distinguishing itself from competing destinations by showing a ‘best practice' example in the cruise ship industry. All destinations are required to maintain the same high standards: no matter which harbour you visit you will have the same great experience.

19 participating destinations and 35 partners have now joined together to implement a shared service standard which governs the ideal conditions for both cruise ship passengers and companies. Four main areas: port facilities; signs and printed material; service and information platforms; and service for crew on three different levels help members secure the best possible facilities and standards. Some facilities are obligatory, others can be implemented according to requirement. Common to all is an investment plan, an economic tool which ensures that the members together continuously maintain the standard of each individual destination.

- The whole idea behind taking a cruise is that one visits, not just one, but many towns in an area. The harbours and destinations are dependent on each other, therefore we see it as our job to ensure that the partners offer a product we can all stand behind. At the same time our partners don't just want to offer a product they are merely satisfied with, but one that can also compete with destinations in other regions and offer a little extra to both passengers and cruise ship companies. They must show that to travel to the Baltic Sea is synonymous with high standards. Cruise Baltic Project must be their stamp of quality, says Ole Andersen, responsible for Cruise Baltic Project.

Don't forget the crew

When it comes to the destinations, cooperation within the local network is crucial to create a good experience for cruise passengers. For this reason it is also important that locals help maintain the project's high service standards; this way of working is a challenge for both large and small harbours. The experience of Annica Jansson, managing director Åland Tourism Board, is that the project's service standards make cooperation at the destination level easier:

- The service standards are an efficient tool for identifying factors that can further improve the experience for cruise passengers calling at Mariehamn, on the Åland Islands. Once a need for improvement is identified, the fact that these standards also act as a benchmarking instrument gives us more weight when working locally to implement them. For cruise passengers, the service standards help ensure a high level of quality throughout their Baltic Sea cruise.

This summer a city map will be erected in each of the 19 destinations in the Cruise Baltic Project featuring information about transport options, recommended sights to see and a map of the region. Tourist information is available at almost all harbours, as are telephones, telephone cards, food and beverages. Toilet facilities for disabled people are also provided by most harbours.

Ole Andersen confirms that the investment plan and the network's service standards have been a unique way in which to work and ensure that the project continuously optimises its product:

 - We already do a great deal for the passengers but we must not forget the crew. We see the employees onboard the ship as an extra resource and also partly as kind of ambassadors for the destinations that they visit. In cities such as Tallinn, Kalmar and Rostock we present special offers to the crew, including special discounts. We hope to make more of these kinds of offers in the future.