Gothenburg’s Cruise Business Is Expected To Reach €4.3m This Year
The arrival of 193m AIDAcara at Frihamnen on April 13 marked the beginning of the cruise season in Gothenburg. One of the high points of the season will be a call by Norwegian Getaway.
In passenger terms, with 4,000, she will be the largest cruiseship to call so far. Mein Schiff 6, which was christened in Hamburg in May, is another first.
A total of 44 cruiseships, carrying 60,000 passengers, are scheduled to call this year compared with 34 last year. Passengers come mainly from Germany, the UK, the USA and Italy.
On average, each cruise passenger spends SKr700 (€72) on food, shopping and excursions during their visit. This year cruise tourism is expected to generate revenue of almost SKr42m (€4.3m) in the tourism sector.
The season will end on October 9, after which there will be two Christmas calls in December.
This year will be the final year for cruiseships docking Frihamnen. The area will be part of a major urban development scheme with the construction of homes and offices, forcing the present cruise terminal to find a new location.
The new central cruise terminal, America Cruise Terminal, will be at Stigbergskajen in Masthugget. The quay and part of the terminal building, Amerikaskjulet, are currently being restored and will be ready to welcome ships from spring 2018.
The location is within easy walking distance of the districts of Majorna, Linne and Haga, and just a short journey by public transport or chartered bus into the city centre.
Gothenburg Port Authority and Goteborg & Co have been working actively since 2008 to market Gothenburg as a cruise destination. The number of cruise ships has increased significantly with a record high in 2014 of 73 calls, bringing more than 100,000 passengers into the city. There has been a slight downturn since then, due largely to keen competition from other ports, particularly in Denmark.
