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The Brits will sail to the Baltic Sea
Ina Sidlauskiene
 Over the last five years, ports of the Baltic sea have beco
me the fastest growing cruise tourism market. In 2006, as many as 2,3 million tourists
chose holidays on deck a cruise liner calling at the Baltic countries, and in all the
ports of the region cruise vessels moored 2079 times. The growth of this kind of tourism
in 2005 was 13%, as compared globally - only 9%.
Partners of the project Baltic Cruise having been cooperating under the INTERREG
III B program for three years now and are expanding their activity. The project
became famous and was awarded the main prize for marketing in Denmark as the first large
international project uniting for common actions all countries and major interest groups
participating in that market. There are 36 partner institutions from 19 cities and 10
countries working together - local governments, port authorities, and tourism
information centers. Besides the main goal of marketing the Baltic destinations in the
USA, a campaign to reach for the large market of Great Britain started. An agreement was
reached with the Danish tourism information center in London for the UK and Ireland - Visit
Denmark. This center complements the project marketing activities and becomes an
advocate of the Baltic harbors in the British Isles. A specialized handbook, Cruise
Baltic, is distributed for operators of cruise lines. It provides them with all the
necessary information about the 19 Baltic ports as attractive cruise destinations. Press
conferences for specialized press are organized, and information about a tempting
possibility to visit the Baltic states on a cruise liner has already been published in the
electronic version of the Times. Tourism agencies in England and Ireland are
given on-line training about the Baltic countries and harbor cities. The training provides
travel agents with essential information - why the countries are interesting, what
one can see and expect there. The training of agents is very important, for an agent can
successfully sell his product (in this case - a cruise) only when he knows as much as
possible about it. A special internet site was created for potential tourists. On-line one
can take part in an electronic competition and win a cruise for two to the Baltic
countries, which is a gift from Fred Olsen Cruises. Traveling by cruise in the
Baltic sea, tourists are mostly charmed by the possibility of waking up every morning in a
new country with a rich heritage and culture, to experience unforgettable impressions in
previously unknown harbors.
The director of Visit Denmark in the UK & Ireland, Henrik Kahn, and the
director of the Baltic Cruise project, Bo Nylandsted Larsen, will lead the
planning of further common activity for the upcoming year. Thanks to this partnership the
port of Klaipeda is becoming ever more known in the world and attractive for marine
tourism.
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