Fine summer for Viking Line
Viking Line’s passenger figures were stable during the summer 2016 season. Nearly 2.3 million passengers travelled on the Company’s red- and white- painted vessels during June–August. This year too, Viking Line offered expanded service on the Helsinki (Finland)–Tallinn (Estonia) route.
After a somewhat slower-than-normal start for summer traffic in June, both July and August saw record volume that almost matched the Company’s summer record last year. During June-August, a total of 2,290,172 passengers travelled on Viking Line, 1.5 per cent fewer than during the same period last year. Total passenger volume in July on all routes reached 939,007, compared to the all-time record set last year, when 945,343 passengers chose to sail on Viking Line vessels. The Viking Cinderella, which normally serves the Stockholm (Sweden)-Mariehamn (Åland Islands, Finland) route, was hired out for the week of June 13–21, 2016. The total number of passenger cars carried on Viking Line vessels during June-August was 258,854, 6 per cent more than during the same period last year.
Increased travel between Finland and Estonia
The extra sailings on the Mariella and Gabriella between Helsinki and Tallinn that we provided again this year boosted passenger volume. The number of passengers on the Tallinn route during June–August was 748,608 (734,000).
Demand on Finland-Sweden routes stagnated during the summer months. Travel between Helsinki/Turku (Finland) and Stockholm fell marginally. A slight decrease in passenger volume was also seen on cruises from Sweden to Mariehamn. However, passenger volume increased on the short route between Mariehamn and Kapellskär (Sweden).
The number of Russian passengers was stable compared to last year but far lower than the volume before the Russian recession began in 2014. The number of international passengers, including from Asia and the US, continued to rise.
“Service ran smoothly during the summer, and passenger volumes were stable. Bookings are being made later and later, which has been a trend for a number of years. We do not foresee any future change in this consumer behaviour. The additional sailings to Tallinn were a success, which is also reflected in the passenger figures. However, there was heavy pressure on prices for this route during the summer. That benefited customers, who enjoyed high quality at affordable prices. It is also gratifying to note that the upgrade in vessel standards on the Helsinki route was appreciated, based on our customer surveys,” says Jan Hanses, President and CEO of Viking Line.
For further information, please contact:
Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Vice President, Corporate Communications,
Johanna.boijer@vikingline.com, tel +358 18 277 48
Jan Hanses, President and CEO
Jan.hanses@vikingline.com, tel +358 18 270 00
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