why northern europe?

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