Brussels, 24/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Cruises to northern European waters are all the rage, and those regions of Europe can but gain from it. The European Cruise Council (ECC) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) consider that, this year, one and a half million passengers will visit those regions, i.e. a growth of 16%. Each cruise participant stopping in a European port (of which there are 253 along the coasts) spends on average €100.
The Arctic regions are particularly popular, followed by the Norwegian fjords, the British Isles and the Baltic Sea. Bo Larsen, the director of Cruise Baltic, believes the rapid expansion of “cool water cruising” is due to the large choice of destinations in these regions, and also by the desire of the cruise companies to extend their season to include the colder months of the year. (MD/transl.jl)