Cruise season starts at Ports of Stockholm
The 2013 cruise season starts on 26 April when the cruise ship Astor arrives at Stadsgården. Stockholm is a very popular cruise destination and this year it is anticipated that 279 cruise ships, carrying almost half a million passengers, will be welcomed by Ports of Stockholm, said in the press release.
The first cruise ship of the season, the Astor, arrives at Stadsgården on Friday 26 April.
Four days later the MSC Musica will call at Stockholm for the first time and will be presented with the traditional Ports of Stockholm commemorative plaque.
This season 279 international cruise ships are expected to call at a Ports of Stockholm port. Eighteen of these vessels will arrive at Nynäshamn, where the first call will be in mid-May. The season will end on 29 October with the departure of the Marco Polo from Nynäshamn, bound for Kiel.
"Port operations are a major resource for the whole of Stockholm, its citizens and all of the tourists who come to our beautiful capital city by sea. By offering modern and efficient port operations we are able to welcome hundreds of thousands of tourists each year in an environmentally sustainable way," says Sten Nordin (M), Stockholm's City Commissioner of Finance and Stockholm City Council Chairman.
"Cruise passengers rate Stockholm as one of the most popular destinations in the world. They are a very important part of Stockholm's tourist revenue and annually spend a combined total of around SEK 500 million on restaurant visits, hotel stays, excursions and shopping," says Ulla Hamilton (M), City Commissioner and Chair of the Stockholm Business Region.
Ports of Stockholm is one of the few ports in the world able to accept black and grey water offloaded by vessels in port, and during the winter months several of the water management facilities have been significantly improved.
You can find out more about which cruise ships are expected to call by going to the vessel list on the Ports of Stockholm website or by downloading the free CruiseSthlm app for Iphone and Android telephones from Appstore or Google Play.
Facts about international cruise traffic at Ports of Stockholm
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.