The number of cancellations is exceptionally high, Eeva HietanenThe Director of Communications at the Port of Helsinki said on Saturday.
Staffan TeromaaThe port manager of the Port of Helsinki added to Helsingin Sanomat that the war has caused several international cruise companies to suspend their visits to St. Petersburg, Russia and other Baltic ports, including Helsinki. Some cruise companies, on the other hand, have adapted their itinerary to include an overnight stay in the Finnish capital.
โWhen St. Petersburg was closed, the ships were redirected and it is seen as an increase in overnight stays in Helsinki. Cruise ships usually arrive in the morning and leave for the next port in the afternoon or evening, he said.
Preliminary bookings fuel expectations for a record summer for cruise passengers in Helsinki. According to Teroma, the number of cruise passengers this summer is expected to fall from about 260,000 to about 340,000 if the cruise companies have sold out their cruises.
In the record year 2019, the Port of Helsinki received 303 vessels. The ships brought almost 605,000 passengers and EUR 25 million in crew and visitor costs to the city, according to a study by the Port of Helsinki.
The number of cruise ships dropped to zero in 2020 and returned to only 14 in 2021.
The Helsinki cruise season began on April 14 with the arrival of M / S Hamburg, operated by the Italian Iss-Tositt.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page