The first cruise ship of the year arrived at the Port of Gothenburg on April 9, marking the start of the 2015 cruise season. A total of 52 ships carrying 100,000 passengers are due to visit Gothenburg in 2015.
Early on Thursday morning, AIDAcara made her way into Frihamnen at the Port of Gothenburg. On board were 1,200 Germans eagerly looking forward to the day ahead. She is one of 52 cruise ships – carrying 100,000 passengers – that are due to visit Gothenburg in 2015.
"This year we will be welcoming more large cruise ships to Gothenburg than previously. The general trend in the cruise industry is towards bigger ships carrying more passengers," said Jill Söderwall, Head of Cruise Operations at the Port of Gothenburg.
Fewer calls than last year 2014 was a record season with 73 calls and 108,000 passengers. The number of calls this year has fallen to 52 although the number of passengers has remained at roughly the same high level.
The fall in the number of calls has not just affected Gothenburg but the whole of Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.
"The number of visits by cruise ships is down by around 5 per cent throughout the region. Instead, bigger ships have been brought into service carrying more passengers, which could be the result of new demands for cleaner and thus more expensive marine fuel in the North Sea and the Baltic," said Jill Söderwall.
The season will run through to October 18 with one Christmas visit in December.
