Cruise Baltic has announced this month the results of its 2011 Market Review. The survey conducted amongst all the Cruise Baltic destinations (27) in October 2010, reports on 2010 results (and those anticipated in 2011) and presents an updated view on the developments in the cruise sector in the Baltic Sea region. The figures for 2010 summarised include:
* the number of ship operators in the Baltic Sea region – 40
* the number of ships visiting – 68
* the number of calls – 2,010
* the number of passengers decreased by 1.3% in 2010 (compared to 2009)
* the number of calls decreased slightly by 7.1% in 2010
* the number of turnarounds increased by 1.3% in 2010
* cruise business in the Baltic Sea was static in 2010, however, positive growth is expected to continue in 2011
From 2000 – 2010:
* the number of passengers has increased by an average annual rate of 11.4% – from 1.1 million in 2000, to 3.1 million in 2010. The number of passengers to the region in 2011 is expected to grow substantially with a growth rate around 12% – (an estimated increase of 380,000 passengers to almost 3.5million in 2011).
* the number of calls increased by an average annual rate of 3.4% – from 1,443 in 2000, to 2,010 in 2010. In 2011 a 10% increase is expected to 2,210 calls.
* the number of turnarounds increased by an average annual rate of 8.6% – from 106 in 2000 to 242 in 2010. For 2011 a larger increase is expected from 242 in 2010, to an estimated 262 in 2011.
In 2010 the top 5 ports (most passenger visits) continued to be: Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki; with 7 ports in the region experiencing an increase in passenger numbers – these being Elsinore, Helsingborg, Kristiansand, Malmo, Mariehamn, Rostock and Visby.
There is a continued growth in the medium segment – those between 75-200 calls – at the ports of Gdynia, Oslo and Rostock. 2010 saw a growth of 8% to 608,000, with Rostock experiencing particularly strong growth.
Overall the passenger growth in the small segment (0 -75 calls) was 1% in 2010, though there is a great variation within the ports – for example, Mariehamn, the passenger numbers in 2010 more than doubled from 10 to 19 calls; yet 9 ports experienced a decrease.
