Copenhagen has 173 turnaround calls this year compared to 135 in 2010, a rise of about 18%. Total calls number 370 compared to 304 last year and passenger numbers will reach 770,000, up on 662,000 last year.
The Danish port will be hosting Happy Cruises and SeaDream Yacht Club on turnaround cruises for the first time this year. The former called for the first time on May 29 with Gemini, just a few months after the decision was taken to include Copenhagen on the itinerary.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun is doing 18 turnarounds, using MSN of Malta as its handling agent.
Bo Larsen, director Cruise Copenhagen Network, explains that the network has been revitalised over the last year with the addition of new partners as well as increasing visibility. “We are putting Copenhagen on the map internationally. We cannot take it [cruise business] for granted any more. Stockholm is a serious turnaround. Tallinn is now getting calls. Rostock and Kiel are increasing.” Marketing is focusing on homeporting features and pre and post stays.
The network has also introduced its mobile welcome facilities (from bicycles) both at Langelinie and Freeport, offering a newly-published map and free information from multilingual service crew.
New crew facilities have been established at Freeport this year which are proving very popular. Next up are the new facilities due to come onstream at Freeport in May 2013 which is a little later than scheduled.
June 4 was the busiest day of the year with 26,000 passengers passing through the port. Some of the success of the operation can be put down to one of the Network initiatives: an infrastructure working group, which includes shorex operators, bus and taxi operators and shipagents, meets regularly to discuss how best to operate when ships are in port.
