For the Scandinavian ferry shipping company Viking Line, the high season this year lasted well into August, mainly thanks to international tourists who were attracted to the north by the summer.
A total of 1.78 million passengers used the shipping company’s ferry routes. This represents a slight increase compared to the same period last year. The freight volume rose slightly by 3.6%. At the same time, the company’s greenhouse gas emissions fell, primarily due to a significant increase in biofuel purchases. Last summer, Viking Line passengers were able to choose a completely fossil-free travel option when booking their trip for the first time. Passenger satisfaction was very high this year, according to Viking Line.
In the summer months between June and August, 740,000 people traveled between the capital cities of Helsinki and Tallinn, which was made possible by increased capacity on the “Viking Cinderella” and “Gabriella” as well as the fast ferry “Viking XPRS”. The shipping company also reported almost 740,000 guests between Turku and Stockholm, and a further 305,000 on the Helsinki-Stockholm route.
“Expectations fulfilled”
“This summer has met our expectations and we are satisfied with the number of passengers on all our routes,” said Peter Hellgren, Deputy CEO of Viking Line. “The cold weather in early summer affected the figures somewhat, but the heatwave in July prompted many people to book a sea voyage. It is particularly pleasing that traffic on our Estonia route was able to continue its long-standing growth despite increasing competition. We have great confidence in this route and earlier this summer we presented a plan for a brand new electric ferry concept for the Helsinki-Tallinn route.”
Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Communications Director of the shipping company, observed that the tourism trend is still growing and shows no signs of slowing down. More and more travelers are now coming from Germany and other parts of Central Europe, with the number of Chinese tourists increasing the most. “The summer season ends abruptly when school starts in Finland,” explained Boijer-Svahnström. “From the tourism industry’s point of view, it would be ideal to extend the school vacations so that they end in mid-August. Then holidaymakers could enjoy the warmth of summer for longer and at the same time a growing number of international tourists would have access to more services.”
