The summer has been good for several Swedish shipping companies. Both last year's warm summer and the weak state of the Swedish krona are believed to be the reasons.
Large streams of tourists from abroad, together with many domestic tourists, have caused passenger shipping companies' ships to operate at full speed during the summer, according to Rikard Engström, CEO, Swedish Shipping.
One of the reasons is the weak krona.
”"A weak krona means that foreign tourists get more for their money when they choose to visit Sweden. It is good for shipping companies that transport passengers both to and from Sweden, as well as within Sweden," says Rikard Engström.
At the same time, the exchange rate makes it more expensive for Swedes to travel abroad, which means that we choose to travel in Sweden to a greater extent instead, he adds.
The hot summer last year has also caused more people to refrain from booking a trip abroad this year.
”"It can be clearly seen historically that a nice Swedish summer means more tourists in Sweden the following year. The same phenomenon means that a rainy summer often means increased vacationing abroad the following year," he says.
Both Viking Line and Tallink Silja have had passenger records during the summer. Viking Line's record was set in July with 951,645 passengers.
”"We had a really good summer with more travelers than ever," says Eleonora Hansi, Head of Information at Viking Line Scandinavia.
What stood out to them was Åland as a travel destination from Sweden, but also Helsinki.
”Our ship Rosella, which runs between Kapellskär and Åland, which is the shortest route between Sweden and Åland, has broken all-time records in both June and July,” says Eleonora Hansi.
Tallink Silja set a record in the number of passengers transported in both June and July. In June, the number of passengers increased by 3 percent and in July by 1.2 percent, compared to the same period last year.
Among other things, Tallink Group has invested over 75 million euros in both technical updates of the ships and modernizations for passengers.
TT-line is also seeing good development in passenger numbers so far into the season.
”There is increased interest both among Swedes and among travelers from the continent traveling to Sweden,” says Anette Wugk, communications manager at TT-line.
The good summer bodes well for the shipping companies' sustainability efforts, says Rickard Engström.
”"If things go well for the shipping companies, they can take the next step, and the next time they develop a ship, they order one that is even better from a sustainability perspective with lower emissions and more value for money for passengers."”
Source: di.se
