Visby to double its number of cruise passengers in 2018
CMP’s new cruise terminal will soon be opening in Visby. The construction project is moving towards completion, at the same time as the tourism industry on the island is preparing to receive the cruise passengers in the optimum way. During 2018 there will be double the number of passengers compared with 2017.
Since winter 2016 the terminal site has been a hive of activity. Approximately 130,000 cubic metres has been dredged to achieve a depth of water of 11 metres. The land area at the quay is 12,000 square metres and accommodates everything from the terminal building to parking places for transfer buses and taxis.
“Two cruise ships of up to 340 metres can dock at the quay at the same time. And the land area will have room for twenty buses at the same time,” reports Harald Gröttvik, project manager for the Cruise Quay.
The first cruise will arrive in mid-April, so it is a busy time for CMP’s terminal manager Henrik Ahlqvist.
“We will receive 70 arrivals with some 90,000 passengers in 2018. This can be compared with this year when Visby had 59 arrivals and some 40,000 passengers,” he says. “The increased number of passengers is linked with the fact that we can receive larger ships at the new quay.”
The shipping companies are currently being contacted to ensure that Visby is a given destination when they plan their itinerary for coming years. Destinations such as Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg dominate the Baltic services. At the same time there is major interest in ”detours” to smaller ports. This is the market where Visby is competing.
Much of the work involving cruise tourism is handled via Gotland Cruise Network, where different actors have grouped together in order to develop Gotland as a cruise destination.
“It is the numbers of day tourists from abroad that are increasing and placing requirements on everything from transport and infrastructure to guides with good language skills, wifi services, tax-free service and shops which can handle foreign currency,” says Monika Frisk, MD of Gotlands förenade besöksnäring.
”Many of them will probably stay in Visby to shop and explore the city, but we will also be offering programmes of excursion for those who want to see more of Gotland,” she continues.
It is also a busy time at the cruise quays. Tove Turesson is PR Officer for the project and maintains communication with both Gotlanders and those responsible for the construction project.
The aim is to provide up-to-date information and influence attitudes towards an initiative that is good for Gotland, for example, as cruise tourism extends the season for the tourism industry.
In June Gotlanders were invited to attend Gotland Open Cruise Day, where they had the opportunity to learn more about cruise traffic to the island and visit a cruise ship.
”And then we will naturally be planning for the inauguration, which will be taking place on April 29,” Tove Turesson says.
