Helsinki Port forecasts fewer Int´l cruise passengers this year

Helsinki will have a total of 97 visits by international cruise ships, which will bring a total of 137,000 passengers to the city and the surrounding region during the cruise season this year, said the Port of Helsinki in a press release on Friday.

The cruise season began in April and ends at the end of the year.

The number will be lower than the previous cruise season when 90 international cruise ships arrived in Helsinki with 163,000 passengers onboard.

The record year for cruise traffic in Helsinki was 2019, when 605,000 cruise passengers visited the city.

The proportion of smaller ships is higher this year than in the previous season.

However, the smaller ships were fully booked.

This season, Helsinki will receive the most cruise passengers from Germany (47%), the USA (19%), the UK (18%), Canada (3%) and Australia (3%).

The last conventional ship of the cruise summer season, AIDALuna, arrived in Hernesaari on 24 October.

However, a ship that specialises in winter cruises, MS Le Commandant Charcot, will be seen in Helsinki several times. The expedition ship that is reinforced against ice tours the northern cruise destinations, offering winter exoticism and modern luxury to a small group of adventurous passengers.

Winter cruises are increasingly popular internationally, and they are a welcome addition to the cruises in the Baltic Sea, as well. Le Commandant Charcot will depart on a cruise from Helsinki for the first time on 2 December.

According to a new study by the Taloustutkimus research company, the international cruise ships and their passengers that visit Helsinki will bring over 11.2 million euros to the city during the current cruise season through fairway and port fees and money spent by the passengers.

The Port of Helsinki believes in the opportunities for growth in cruise travel and is actively involved in developing Helsinki into a stronger and more attractive cruise destination.

“Earlier this month, Helsinki was named the world’s most sustainable travel destination in the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) index. Tourists value sustainable destinations and services, so we have excellent conditions for success in this regard,” said Kaj Takolander, Head of Passenger Services.

“However, we also need significant focus on the international marketing of this destination. We are involved in this work both locally with the City of Helsinki and nationally with the Cruise Finland organisation,” Takolander added.