Ports & destinations

CMP in talks to operate planned Visby cruise pier

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 25 April 2014 25 April 2014

Copenhagen Malmo Port (CMP), the Danish-Swedish port operator, is in talks with the provincial government of Gotland in Sweden to operate a cruise facility that the provincial government wants to build at Visby, the island's capital.

The number of cruise calls has more than halved to 64 in 2013 in the past few years as the size of ships cruising in the Baltic has increased. The present facilities in Visby are unable to receive most of these ships and as tendering is both cumbersome and subject to problems caused by weather, many lines have dropped the city that dates back to medieval times from their itineraries, said Arnt Moller Petersen, head of cruise operations and CMP.

The planned facility would be able to receive ships 350 metres in length and it would cost about SEK250 million to build. The Gotland government is expected to finalise the decision to build the facility in the next couple of months, while the board of CMP is due to seal an agreement to lease the facility for 20 years immediately afterwards, Petersen said at a presentation in Copenhagen.

"CMP will pay a leasing fee for the pier and receive all the income that it generates," he said, adding that the company is considering to add further cruise facilities to its portfolio. It currently operates extensive facilities in Copenhagen, where a new development with three terminals is due to open next month. In addition, it has one terminal received for cruise ships in Malmo across the Oresund on the Swedish side.

Terminal 109/110 reopens in Venice

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 15 April 2014 15 April 2014

Terminal 109/110 with 14,000 sqm of floor area on two levelsl has opened in Venice in Italy after a refurbishment. "The refurbishment was initially lead by the architect Maurizio Paveggio and then by the architect Vincenzo Di Donato who has endorsed furniture and interiors," the port said in a statement.

"From the technological systems to the air-conditioning and the fire systems, from the elevators to the escalators, all the structural refurbishment interventions have followed a philosophy based on energy savings and eco-sustainability, emphasising the industrial archeology aesthetic, thanks to its elegant and minimal furniture," the port commented..

BVI welcomes Carnival Sunshine on first call to Tortola

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 23 April 2014 23 April 2014

A delegation representing the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Ports Authority, Ministry of Communications and Works, Premier’s Office, BVI Tourist Board and ROMASCO welcomed Carnival Sunshine on its first call to the cruise pier in Road Town, Tortola earlier today.

The ship, previously Carnival Destiny, brought over 4,000 passengers and crew members to the Territory.

At the official inaugural ceremony on board this morning, Captain Roberto Liotta and Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark Vanterpool exchanged plaques to commemorate the occasion.

The captain, who has been with Carnival for over 26 years, said it was his very first time to the BVI. Honourable Vanterpool, after welcoming the captain and crew, encouraged them to leave the ship and enjoy the shopping and beaches on island.

After the inaugural ceremony, the BVI delegation went on a tour of the ship’s new facilities including the top decks, theatre, water sports area, spa and gym. 

Sunshine leaves at 5:30 p.m. today and its next stop will be St. Maarten. The ship returns to Port Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, where it began its eight day cruise. 

Carnival Sunshine was originally built in 1996 and refurbished and subsequently renamed last year.  

The BVI Ports Authority is responsible for the Territory’s cruise infrastructure and facilitates port calls. 

Cruise tourism in St Petersburg grew five times the rate of all visits 2013

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 15 April 2014 15 April 2014

The number of  visitors arrriving to the Russian city of St Petersburg by sea exceeded the total number of foreign visitors fivefold last year, fresh data shows.

In 2013a number of foreign touristsin St. Petersburg and Leningrad region reached 3 million people, which is a 2% increase from 2012. According to the Federal Migration Service in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region data in 2013 2.12 million foreign tourists have been put on record in St. Petersburg hotels, which is a 3% increase from 2012, says St Peter Line, the Russian cruise ferry company..

A number of tourists arriving to Saint Petersburg by sea cruise ships and ferries – 573 thousand people – in 2013 has increased by 11% compared to 2012  (see Table 1).

For 10 years from 2004 to 2013 a number of foreign tourists visiting St. Petersburg has doubled from 1.5 million to 3 million people a year.

In 2013, as usually, the majority of tourists came from the largest European countries: Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, as well as from the U.S.A. and Japan. In the last few years China has become one of the leaders in this list: in 2013 it was over 240 thousand Chinese tourists. An increase in tourist traffic causes developing and construction of new infrastructure objects (the new passenger port Marine Facade, the Pulkovo airport), attracts new carriers (for example, in 2013 12 airlines came to St. Petersburg).

According to Petrostat info (see Tables 2, 3), in 2013:
- The volume of tourism paid services to the population increased by 10% compared with 2012 and amounted to 7,941 million rubles;
- The volume of paid services providing by hotels and similar accommodation facilities increased by 12% and amounted to 13,776 million rubles.

Within the framework of the project “My Russia: the City of Peter”, made by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, more than 18,000 school students from 28 Russian regions visited St. Petersburg in the period from October to December 2013.

The best Saint Petersburg tour operators organized children staying in the city. Students visited the main historically significant sights of Saint Petersburg and the suburbs. The service quality was appreciated by students and their parents.

Sea cruise tourism is an important feature and advantage of St. Petersburg over many European tourism centers.

Promoting St. Petersburg as a cruise destination is making in order to attract tourists and cruise companies, for better capacity utilization of the Marine Facade passenger port and increasing revenues from cruise tourism.

To achieve this goal, the Committee established a working group with the participation of state and business structures . A decision on the representation of St. Petersburg on a single stand cruise specialized exhibitions.

With the support of the Committee of the Management Company “Marine Façade” in St. Petersburg held a meeting with representatives of the 8 ports of the Baltic Sea (Copenhagen, Tallinn , Stockholm , etc.), which discussed the proposal to reduce by 50% the cost of cruise ships in the period from October to May to enhance the attractiveness of the Baltic ports . The proposal was supported by the Marine Facade .

On the initiative and with the assistance of the Committee ferry operator  St. PeterLine from April 2014 began an advertising campaign on Euronews TV-channel in Scandinavia , Holland and Germany . In addition to information about St. Petersburg, promotional film tells about the possibility of visa-free visit to the city within 72 hours .

The working group of market participants apart from the immediate sea cruises representatives the Pulkovo airport for joint marketing activities for the positioning of St. Petersburg as a starting point for exploring the Baltic Sea.