Jan 14, 2016
Why Northern Europe?
Exciting destinations Over 100 active cruise ports 22 countries and 3 territories Very profitable for cruise lines – Higher yields Plenty of base ports with good airlift Now nearly all-year-round More choices than other areas such as
Alaska or Caribbean
Great variety of itineraries
Northbound Southbound Baltic (incl Gulf of Bothnia) Round Britain and Ireland Trans-Atlantic North Sea Norwegian Fjords, Faroes, Iceland and North Cape Channel and Bay of Biscay
Cruise Europe
Founded in 1991 – Less than 25 ports in Northern Europe were interested in cruising.
Big increase came when former Iron Curtain was lifted, and Baltic became a popular cruising area – now 29 members.
Today Cruise Europe has 100 members from the Baltic and Iceland to Atlantic coast of Spain.
Edinburgh
Who cruises in Europe?
Virtually all cruise lines: Carnival, Costa, Holland-America, Princess, P&O Royal Caribean, Celebrity, Azamara, Pullman, Clipper, Crystal, Lindblad, Norwegian, Oceania, Orient, Regent
Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea, World of Residensea Cunard, Fred. Olsen, Hebridean, Island, Ocean Village, Page &
Moy, Saga, Thomson, Travelscope, Voyages of Discovery MSC, AIDA, Delphin, Hansa Kreuzfahrten, Hapag Lloyd,
Phoenix Reisen, Peter Deilmann, Plantours, Transocean Louis, NYK, Arcalia, Norwegian Coastal Voyages, Kristina, Iles
du Ponant, Star and and…...
Major Turnaround Ports
Copenhagen
Rostock/Warnemunde, Kiel, Hamburg, Bremerhaven
Amsterdam, Rotterdam
Southampton, Dover, Tilbury, London, Harwich, Tyne, Greenock, Liverpool, Falmouth
and others
Different types of cruise
Adventure/Expedition Family Mainstream Wildlife Special interest – Golf, gardens and drink etc Club cruising Ultra luxury Fun cruising Christmas cruises
Different lengths of cruise
2/3 day taster cruises 7 day butterfly 11/12 days 14 days Longer cruises Europeans in general have longer holidays
than Americans or Japanese 7 day cruise and 7 days in resort
Trends in cruising
Now a mainstream holiday No longer a big budget purchase Average age of passenger now 50 (and decreasing) Shorter cruises becoming popular People want more active shore excursions Cycling, hill walking, white-water rafting Whole families are cruising Europe was seen as being culture/destination rich, now
also seen as a “fun cruise” area European season is getting longer Ships are becoming larger and more of a destination in
their own right
Product Development Opportunities
New areas – Gulf of Bothnia, Greenland, Bay of Biscay, Round Ireland.
Undiscovered ports/hidden gems, great scope for expansion – Aalborg, Barrow, Gijon, Klaipeda, L’Orient, Malmo, Milford Haven, Portree, Turku, Vigo, Ystad etc.
Sail cruising – Sea Cloud, Windstar. New products – Easy Cruise, Virgin. Christmas/shopping
Northern Europe – Where next?
Bigger ships – yes Smaller ships – yes Medium ships – yes Niche products – yes Fun cruises – yes New companies – yes More consolidation – yes New products – yes Extend the season - yes
Facts and Figures
In 2006, the top 100 ports in Northern and Western Europe (Iceland to Atlantic Spain) received 5,849 calls and had 6,077,492 passengers in total.
140 ocean-going liners regularly cruise in Europe. Currently 37 ships on order, with 99,000 lower
berths, valued at $21 billion. Northern & Western Europe now 3rd most important
cruising area after Caribbean and Mediterranean i.e. ahead of Alaska.
What to do next
Choose - to Cruise Europe