The popularity of the Helsinki-Tallinn ferry route continues to grow, with dozens of daily departures. Cruise ship companies are looking to increase traffic on the Helsinki-Stockholm route, which has held steady in terms of passenger numbers for almost two decades.
While both routes are popular with Finns, the new target audience is travellers from Asia and Russia, some of whom have already discovered the routes.
“The growth has been staggering. In five years, the entire passenger market has increased by 20 percent and is approaching eight million people annually," says Margus Schults, managing director of Tallink Silja, which is one of leading providers of mini-cruises in the northern Baltic Sea region.
Two of the largest companies sailing the Baltic, Tallink Silja and Viking Line, are investing close to 10 million euros in updated ships that service the routes. Viking Line is investing in a new generation of ships that will sail between Turku to Stockholm, while Tallink Silja will return its fully renovated Serenade cruise ship to the Helsinki-Stockholm route. Both companies are hoping to appeal to an international clientele.
”Four years ago the percentage of foreign travellers out of our nine million annual passengers was only three or four percent. Now, it’s already at 11 percent. For example, this year we’ve already had 90,000 Chinese passengers,” says Tallink Silja’s Schults.
The competition has become more intense in the Baltic Sea as the floating galleries of shops, spas and restaurants compete with low-cost airlines, for example.
Eyes on Russia
“Russia is a very attractive market. The St Petersburg area alone is home to millions of travellers,” says Viking Line’s Communications Manager Johanna Boijer-Svahnström. As New Year's celebrations are popular among Russians, Viking will offer a new package catering to this market for the upcoming holiday season.
