The Port of Skagen in Sweden said that it’s seen over the recent years an “increasing demand within tourism in general and cruise tourism for more active tours and nature experiences.”
“Aligning with this, Cruise Skagen has now introduced new tours focusing on outdoor and active experiences in addition to the variety of more classic tours already on offer,” the port representatives told Cruise Industry News.
According to them, at interview time, 36 out of 42 cruise ship calls for 2021 had been cancelled.
“We are still waiting for the Danish authorities to lift the ban on cruise tourism to Denmark. For the coming years, it looks very positive. Bookings for 2022 are almost the same as in 2019 and 2023 seems to be the biggest year ever with guest numbers almost 50 percent up compared to 2019,” they said.
Under normal circumstances, Skagen attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually.
Earlier in 2021, the Port of Skagen completed a third port expansion – including an additional 190.000 sqm of new land, two new piers and, an extension of the breakwater.
“(This) gives a much smoother approach,” the port said. “Furthermore, a reduction in the size of the port entrance from 250m to 200m, which means calmer waters in the cruise basins. One of the new piers – pier 41 will be used as a secondary cruise pier.”
Recently, the port also made savings of CO2 emissions of 8,524 tones, corresponding to a reduction of 25 percent. This was thanks to laying an environmentally improved asphalt of 7,300m2 on part of the route leading from the cruise piers and to the shuttlebus stop and lowering its production temperature.
Thanks to sprinkling the new asphalt with AirClean concrete granulate, the new pavement on the route may reportedly have the same air-purifying effect as 70,000 sq. meters of forest.
Port of Skagen is “ideally located at the very top of Denmark,” its representatives said, and thereby en route for cruise ships cruising between the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic, and for vessels steaming out of the UK or German ports on their way into the Baltic.
According to the port representatives, Skagen provides great opportunities for outdoor tours such as hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, canoeing, horseback riding, golfing and now also snorkeling, west coast safari in 4WD’s, kayak surf, rib boat sailing, running tours and bird spotting.
New tours around Skagen will be led by professional instructors and divers; bird spotting tours by ornithologists from the Grey Lighthouse – experience and science center for migratory birds.
“Not only do all these tours combine nature experiences and exercise, but they also take place in safe surroundings away from the hot spots of the town,” port representatives said.
