Nearly 1.8 million passengers travelled on Viking Line's ships between June and August 2024. Demand increased most on the Tallinn route, which also had more departures than in previous summer seasons. This summer, travellers were attracted by the diverse attractions of Estonia and the Baltics, Stormskärs Majas Åland and the renewed Viking Cinderella.
Viking Line served nearly 1.8 million passengers during the recently concluded summer season from June to August.
”Summer is the peak season for cruises, and we are preparing carefully for it. This summer we increased capacity on the Tallinn route further, and the supply on the Helsinki–Stockholm route was also greater than last year when Cinderella moved permanently to the line in the spring. There was a demand for increased capacity, and despite full ships, we happily received very high ratings for customer satisfaction this summer. Overall, the 2024 cruise summer was very successful for us,” says Viking Line’s Director of Information Johanna Boijer-Svahnström.
The number of passengers increased the most – over 11 percent – on the Tallinn route, where in addition to Viking XPRS, Viking Cinderella and Gabriella also operate. The route had a total of 732,000 passengers during June–August.
”"The growing popularity of travel to Estonia seems to be a permanent trend, but travel itself is changing. Our southern neighbor has also become a favorite destination for families with children, and people are increasingly traveling via Tallinn to other parts of Estonia, the Baltics and Europe," says Johanna Boijer-Svahnström.
”Prices in Estonia are still reasonable, but affordability is no longer the main reason for Finns to choose Estonia as a holiday destination. Estonia has simply become a fantastic travel destination with many interesting museums, natural attractions and events. The restaurant selection is also attractive and diverse, even outside Tallinn.”
The cheap krona attracts people to Stockholm
This July marked 50 years since Viking Line started passenger services between Helsinki and Stockholm. The route connecting the capital city centres has always been of great importance, and during the anniversary summer, a total of 274,000 passengers travelled on Gabriella and Viking Cinderella on the Helsinki–Stockholm route. Viking Line's market share on the route rose to 44 percent.
”"We invested nine million euros this spring to update Cinderella and moved the ship back under the Finnish flag. Our legendary ship has attracted enormous interest, and in addition, the cheap krona exchange rate has continued to affect Sweden's attractiveness as a travel destination."”
In addition to the traffic to Stockholm and Tallinn, Viking Cinderella and Gabriella made a total of seven special cruises to Visby this summer. Gotland's romantic capital is very popular in Finland, and the special departures were already sold out in the spring. In October and November, Viking Line will arrange two more special cruises to Visby.
Åland's attractiveness strengthened
On the route between Turku, Mariehamn and Stockholm, the Baltic Sea's most climate-smart ships, Viking Glory and Viking Grace, served 747,000 passengers between June and August. Viking Line's market share on the route was almost 70 percent.
”Despite the stiff competition on the west coast routes, our passenger numbers remained almost at the same level as last summer. Åland received a lot of attention last winter when the film Stormskärs Maja premiered, and as an example, our arranged tours in the footsteps of Stormskärs Maja were a success. We also had many golf travelers this summer – which is not surprising, since Slottsbanan was voted Finland's best course in the spring. Åland is also an excellent destination later in the autumn, for example for nature tourists and fishermen.”
Climate tourism increases the number of international tourists
The number of foreign tourists on Viking Line's ships has increased steadily since the pandemic years. In recent summer months, the number of Chinese tourists was even three times higher than last year. The number of German and Polish travelers also increased significantly, as did Korean and American travelers.
”Southern and Central Europeans want to escape the extreme heat during their holiday months, and we are also seeing signs of this phenomenon. We believe that climate tourism to the north will only strengthen, which means increased interest in Finland, the other Nordic countries and the Baltics.”
The international tourist season coincides with the European holiday months in August, when most Finns are already returning to their daily lives. Schools started earlier than usual this year, in many places as early as August 8th.
”"The summer season comes to an abrupt end when people return to work. From the perspective of the tourism industry, it would be very desirable for the school holidays to last longer into August," says Johanna Boijer-Svahnström.
According to the press release.
