Cruise: Stockholm celebrates a Record Year

Stockholm has finished its cruise season on a high, celebrating a record number of ships and passengers calling at the port in 2013. During the six-month cruise season from 26 April to 29 October, 278 ships called in Stockholm, bringing 485,000 passengers to the city. This represents an increase of 4 per cent on 2012.

The port is also gaining a reputation as a turnaround port, with 47 ships embarking and disembarking in Stockholm during the season.

Claudia Quas, Project Manager for the Stockholm Cruise Network, commented: 

“We are very proud that our city is a big attraction to many cruisers; in fact, a recent survey showed that 97% of passengers go ashore in Stockholm and spend an average of 5.9 hours on land, compared to a European average of 87% and 4.8 hours.

“The UK forms a significant part of these numbers, as it is the third largest cruise market for Stockholm, after Germany and the USA.”

Welcoming cruise ships ranging from the large Royal Caribbean liners, through to luxury Silversea Cruises, Stockholm is now a seasoned favourite for international cruise companies and their customers. The harbours are centrally located and the city is compact and easy to walk around, meaning that cruise passengers are able to cram a lot in to one day – from world-class museums and galleries to incredible architecture and internationally renowned restaurants.

It also offers one of the most beautiful transits in the world, through the archipelago, to reach the city.
Another attraction of Stockholm for cruise lines is the port’s dedication to the minimising its impact on the environment. Leading the way among cruise destinations, Stockholm is one of the only ports in the world that can receive black and grey water at all piers, and offers cruise companies financial rebates for sorting their waste. 

Stockholm Cruise Network is a partner-based collaborative project that includes the Stockholm Visitors Board, Ports of Stockholm, Swedavia and some 30 other partners, comprising tour operators, port agents, hotels, attractions and transport representatives. The aim of the network is to work jointly to promote and develop Stockholm as a cruise destination. www.visitstockholm.com/cruise