New record year for cruises

Now that the cruise season can be summarised, it can be revealed that CMP is continuing to break records. This year’s contender is Visby, where the number of arrivals increased by 40 per cent. At the same time, Copenhagen is consolidating its position as Northern Europe’s major destination.

Cruise traffic has long been one of CMP’s most expansive areas and the 2019 season is no exception. Quite the reverse. There was a new all time high with 465 arrivals in Copenhagen, Visby and Malmö.

”I am particularly pleased with the development in Visby, where we had 100 arrivals. The year before it was 70,” observes Henrik Ahlkvist, Head of Cruise & Ferries within CMP. Moreover, the strong development will continue in 2020 when Visby will receive a total of 136 arrivals.

Copenhagen is and remains the largest destination. Not just within CMP, but in Northern Europe as a whole. When the 2019 season finishes, the city will have received 350 arrivals.

Ever larger shipsDuring 2020, Copenhagen is expected to receive about the same number of arrivals as in 2019. The number of passengers will nevertheless increase by about 100,000 as the ships are getting larger. This means that for the first time CMP is expected to welcome one million passengers in Copenhagen alone.

An obvious part of the development is the management of various sustainability issues. Together with 29 other cruise destinations, CMP presented a manifesto in May with the aim of reducing emissions in ports and port cities in the Baltic region. In parallel with these major joint initiatives, environmental management has developed in Copenhagen in 2019.

”We now only use electric-powered forklifts on the quays and new technology has made waste treatment more efficient, cutting the amount of transportation. These two initiatives thus produce less emissions,” Henrik Ahlkvist reports.