Already one million passengers have wanted to experience Viking Line's flagship Viking Glory, which began operating on the Turku Line in March 2022. "Passenger ship traffic with a high level of service is an extremely important part of our city's attractiveness for tourists," says Turku Mayor Minna Arve.
The brand new Viking Glory was christened in champagne and set sail for the first time from the Port of Turku in early March, amidst a large media presence and a large crowd of interested spectators. During the summer, Viking Glory and Viking Grace set all-time passenger records on the Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm route. And now, just ten months after its launch, Viking Glory has already served one million passengers.
The millionth passenger, Ulla Haavisto with her husband Mikko, boarded the ship in the Port of Turku on January 31. Viking Glory's captain Ulf Lindroos and superintendent Tuuli Peltonen surprised the person with flowers, a restaurant gift certificate and a cabin category upgrade.
”"Wonderful, can it be true, us? It's been a long time since we traveled without children," exclaimed Ulla Haavisto from Eura.
Viking Line expects a total of around two million passengers to travel with Viking Line on the Turku Line this year. Viking Glory and Viking Grace are the only ships offering a ferry connection from the centre of Turku to the heart of Stockholm. Historically, the line has had great importance for the city of Turku and its importance has continued to grow.
”"Passenger ferry traffic with a high level of service between Turku and Stockholm is an extremely important part of our city's attractiveness for tourists. Smooth work commutes by sea are an important competitiveness factor for business life in our region. Turku is the capital of the world's most beautiful archipelago, and the proximity to the sea is an inseparable part of our city's identity," says Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku.
Viking Glory is Viking Line's major investment in both a modern cruise experience and the world's most climate-smart technology. The new ship carries 2,800 passengers and has 60 percent more cargo capacity than its predecessor Amorella. At the same time, emissions have been significantly reduced. Examples of the ship's technical innovations include waste cooling recovery, the world's most efficient low-emission and LNG-powered engines, air conditioning and lighting that are automatically controlled according to the booking status, an energy-efficient Azipod rudder propeller system and a hull that reduces wave formation.
”"Viking Glory is a drawcard not only for the Baltic Sea but also for Turku. The ship has increased the total number of passengers on our Turku Line and has inspired new target groups such as young adults to go on a cruise. Swedes have also traveled with the ship more actively than in previous years. The Turku-Stockholm line is very important to us, as our investments also testify. We are very pleased that one million passengers have already wanted to share the experience on board Glory," says Viking Line's CEO Jan Hanses.
Source: According to Press Release.
