Ports & destinations

Huelva welcomes Prinsendam

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 24 April 2016 24 April 2016

Alan Lam reports

More than 600 passengers and 450 crewmembers called at the Spanish port city of Huelva on Prinsendam, the oldest and smallest ship in the Holland America Line fleet, on 23 April and received a hearty Andalucian welcome.

Most of the passengers on board were from the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. The ship’s previous port of call was Gibraltar; after Huelva, at 17.00 hours, she set sail for Lisbon, her next port of call.

The port and local tourism authorities pulled out all the stops in welcoming those maritime visitors. They organised free shuttle bus services between Muelle Sur (South Pier), where the ship docked, and Plaza del Punto, in the heart of the Huelva, to those who wished to see the city - where Columbus set sail in 1492 - and all its glories.

Huelva is among a number of smaller Spanish ports that are working hard to attract cruise tourism. The initiative receives strong support from local authorities and businesses. Huelva Cruise Network - an association made up of the city’s chamber of commerce, municipal government, the port and the tourist office, among others - welcomed the visitors with historical re-enactment, traditional music and local wine.

The chamber of commerce recently launched a Vive Huelva Cruises advertising campaign in associations with about 70 local businesses, promoting the city as a quality brand to the cruise world.

Upon arrival at the pier, cruise visitors are given leaflets and information about the city’s attractions. The port of Huelva also offers free WiFi at Muelle Sur to passengers and crew.

Haifa Port mounts robust marketing initiative to attract cruise lines

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 April 2016 19 April 2016

Haifa Port, Israel's leading seaport, is implementing a long-term, comprehensive plan to entice cruise lines back to the "Gateway to the Holy Land" in consultation with Miami-based Access Cruise Inc., which provides sales and marketing representation to the cruise industry.

Haifa Port and Access Cruise, along with the director of marketing of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in North America, met with executives from all the major North American cruise lines during the recent 2016 Seatrade Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As a result of those meetings, Haifa Municipality and the Haifa Tourism Company board of directors have identified the cruise industry as an important target market for stimulating travel to the region. They have created an attractive array of benefits and incentives for cruise lines calling at the destination -- especially for lines that schedule multiple or overnight calls at Haifa Port.

"We know it's a dream for millions of people around the world to get a taste of the Holy Land," said Zohar Rom, director of marketing and spokesperson of Haifa Port. "Our mission is to give the cruise industry great opportunities to fulfill their dream. Together with the Access Cruise team I am certain we can grow the cruise business to Haifa Port."

"Haifa is committed to driving cruise business to Israel," said Shannon McKee, president of Access Cruise Inc. "Given the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East, port officials realize that they need to take a long-term, regional approach to bringing cruise ships back to Haifa."

Haifa Port is Israel's largest seaport, located on a natural protected bay and offering docking facilities for large passenger liners. The port is operated by government-owned Haifa Port Company and at the peak of its cruise operations handled more than 300,000 passengers per year.

The Israeli port has been a popular destination for European cruise lines such as MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, which featured regular service to ports in Israel, Egypt and the Red Sea. Premium lines like Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises have made regular calls at Haifa on world cruises and extended Europe itineraries.

Haifa's cruise facilities include a recently expanded modern passenger terminal and a quay that can accommodate three large cruise ships at once. A finger pier was added recently to accommodate two more passenger ships.

Haifa Port's passenger terminal can efficiently process passengers from multiple ships simultaneously. Terminal enhancements include a comfortable waiting area and a concourse with a duty-free store, souvenir shop, café, VAT reimbursement counter and currency exchange, Israel Ministry of Interior services, and other travel-related services.

In addition to its world-class beaches and local cultural and historical attractions, Haifa is considered the gateway to many of the region's important biblical and religious sites.

MedCruise promotes Mediterranean destinations to China's largest travel agencies

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 18 April 2016 18 April 2016

MedCruise actively participated at CETCOM conference that took place in Beijing, China, on Monday 11 April 2016. The event was attended by more than 80 travel agents from 40 Chinese agencies and 20 specialised tourism journalists.

MedCruise initiated the discussions of the conference presenting the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas as a cruise destination and describing all those features that make the Med the best choice for cruising.

The MedCruise delegation invited travel agents to cruise the magic world of the Mediterranean that offers - among others - a great opportunity to discover the history, the architecture, the culture, the gastronomy, the sightseeings of 20 countries located in three different continents.

It also updated travel agents on the prospects of cruising in one of the most interesting regions of the world, while the presentation was followed by an extensive networking session.

The event took place in Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao and was organized by the MedCruise partner Chinese Friendly.

MedCruise member ports further benefit from the work of the Association and its collaboration with Chinese Friendly by expanding their professional network with key travel agents around the globe.

MedCruise ports expand their markets at China's largest outbound travel exhibition

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 April 2016 19 April 2016

MedCruise participated at COTTM2016 - China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market - that took place 12-14 April 2016, in Beijing, China.

The MedCruise delegation joined the discussions of the first day of the conference presenting the various features and unique characteristics of one of the most popular cruise destinations worldwide: the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.

The Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports was also present with its own space at the COTTM exhibition hall, where the MedCruise representatives had an excellent opportunity to meet with local agents and other stakeholders, presenting the MedCruise destinations and promoting the region as an excellent choice for cruising.

The message spread to the Chinese world was clear. There is nowhere else on earth where one can cruise to so many different countries within such a short period of time and sample as many flavours, cultures and retrace the footsteps of history as one can in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.

In an attempt to find out even more about the Chinese market, MedCruise circulated a survey specially designed for Chinese people, thereby endeavoring to make the most out of its presence in Beijing.

This is not the first time that MedCruise promotes the attractiveness of its members in Far East, in a strategy aiming to transform Asia to a key passenger source market for cruises in the Med.

More than 77,000 cruise passengers for Strait of Magellan

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 18 April 2016 18 April 2016

Alan Lam reporting

The expedition and upscale cruise market continues on its growth trajectory. It has just been reported that during the 2015-16 season, as many as 77,248 cruise passengers visited the Strait of Magellan, a 35% increase on the previous season.

A total of 121 calls were made to the Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales during the austral season, which has just ended; each ship brought an average of 640 passengers to the region. There were five cancellations due to poor weather conditions, resulting in 7,800 passengers unable to depart from Punta Arenas.

“This season we experienced an important increase in passenger number,” said Ignacio Covacevich, Manager of Austral Port Company (Empresa Portuaria Austral). “The number was the highest since the 2007-08 season when it reached over 90,000.”

Beside the increasing popularity of expedition cruises, one of the main reasons for this rise was due to the return of Norwegian Cruise Line to the region with 10 calls, bringing in more than 18,000 passengers.

To facilitate this continuous growth, the city of Punta Arena is enlarging its main cruise terminal, Muelle Prat, aiming at accommodating vessels of up to 250 metres from 2017. Muelle Prat is the definitive cruise pier of the region.