It has become increasingly more popular to travel between Finland and Estonia– Viking Line responds with additional daily departures
The popularity of route travel between Helsinki and Tallinn is on the rise. Viking Line is altering the timetables of Viking XPRS to better correspond to this growing demand. Additional departures will be added to the Friday and Sunday timetables from the beginning of April.
Viking Line is increasing the frequency of scheduled voyages for its Viking XPRS vessel. Starting on 5 April, Viking XPRS will make three trips per day on the Helsinki–Tallinn route on Fridays and Sundays. These timetable changes were made in response to the wishes of our customers. The demand for additional departures is particularly high from Finland to Estonia, where passengers are increasingly looking to travel to Tallinn as well as other destinations in Estonia and the Baltic region.
“The popularity of route tourism is constantly growing. Estonia and Latvia are extremely popular travel destinations, and it is becoming more common for tourists to continue on from Tallinn to, for example, Pärnu, Saaremaa or Riga. The most popular days for travel are Friday and Sunday. We have chosen to add more departures during these two days as a means of making travel more flexible and convenient,” explains Kaj Takolander, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Viking Line.
During 2018, there was also an increase in the popularity of the short picnic cruises that Viking Line offers during the summer season. In the future, the company’s picnic cruises will be available every Friday. The picnic cruise is an ideal choice, for example, for meetings and team-building excursions, shopping or an easy way to jumpstart the weekend.
Cruise travel has changed over recent years. Viking Line has also seen a change in its passenger profile. The number of Finnish passengers on day cruises has slightly dropped, while the number of Finnish, Estonian and international customers along Viking Line’s scheduled routes has increased.
“The customer base has changed, and the market has evolved. People are more often looking for a cruise to provide them with great experiences and pampering services. They want to eat well, shop and enjoy quality time. The increasing traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn is also affected by the growth in work and study travel between the two countries,” says Kaj Takolander.
Viking XPRS will be dry docked for the period of 21–24 January for maintenance purposes. There will also be many upgrades happening on board during January. Viking XPRS will get, among other things, a new children’s playroom, and Viking’s Inn Pub will get a new look and a dance floor. Due to the work necessary for these changes, Viking’s Inn Pub and Red Rose Bar Café will be closed during 21–31 January.
Viking XPRS will start operating according to the new timetables between Helsinki and Tallinn on 5 April. During the summer, additional departures will also be added to our timetables for the M/S Gabriella and M/S Mariella.
FRIDAY TIMETABLE FOR THE VIKING XPRS HELSINKI–TALLINN ROUTE
5 April–13 June 2019 & 12 August–20 December 2019
TAL → HEL HEL → TAL
07.45 → 10.00
10.45 → 13.15 14.15 → 16.30
17.30 → 20.00 21.00 → 23.30
SUNDAY TIMETABLE FOR THE VIKING XPRS HELSINKI–TALLINN ROUTE
5 April–13 June 2019 & 12 August–20 December 2019
TAL → HEL HEL → TAL
07.00 → 09.30 10.30 → 13.00
15.30 → 18.00 19.00 → 21.30
22.15 → 00.30
Encl.: Viking XPRS timetable, Helsinki–Tallinn 2019
Kaj Takolander
Vice President Sales & Marketing
358 400 507908 kaj.takolander@vikingline.com
Christa Grönlund
Communication Manager, Marketing Communications
358 9 123 5242 christa.gronlund@vikingline.com
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