Ports & destinations

Banana Coast unveils diverse shore excursion program

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 March 2012 19 March 2012

At a press conference at http://www.cruiseshippingevents.com/miami 2012, principals ofhttp://www.bananacoast.com, Honduras -- the only new Caribbean cruise destination under construction -- unveiled the port's initial tours in a diverse shore excursion program designed to offer something for everyone, including cultural, soft-adventure and eco-tour offerings.

The tours enable guests to explore the area from land, air and sea. In addition to the signature tour -- Campo del Mar Nature Park & Beach Break -- highlights include a VIP airplane ride to the Mayan ruins at Copan, a zipline that runs through a lagoon, rainforest and over the beach; a snorkeling adventure at a beautiful starfish bank, and kayaking in the pristine Guaimoreto Lagoon. Guests looking to stay on land have the chance to discover the port's appeal through an exciting mountain ATV ride, a culinary tasting tour or a trolley ride through the colonial town of Trujillo.

"Banana Coast Tours has put together a collection of shore excursions that highlight the charms of the colonial Spanish town of Trujillo, the historic surrounding areas, the beautiful seashore and the lush tropical rainforests," said Shannon McKee, director of Banana Coast Tour Company. "There are few Caribbean cruise destinations that are able to offer cruise lines such a wide array of shore excursions as Banana Coast."

Initial shore excursions include:

Adventure Tours
Guaimoreto Zipline Adventure
Travel at exhilarating speeds through a labyrinth of 18 towers while enjoying incredible views of the Guaimoreto Lagoon with its system of mangroves, canals and a multitude of bird and animal species.

Jungle ATV Extreme
Ride through the jungles of Honduras on your own all-terrain vehicle. Relish this off-road adventure through the magnificent cloud forests with spectacular views and unlimited fun. Cool off with an ocean dip and then indulge in an outdoor barbecue party.

Reef & Starfish Snorkel
Experience the waters that Christopher Columbus discovered 500 years ago in the Cayo Blanco eco-system. Here you'll experience the underwater magic of colorful coral and vibrant fish before you continue your travels over the azure seas to the unique starfish bank. Dive beneath the pristine waters to get your own "touch" experience with these beautiful ocean creatures.

VIP
Ruins of Copan
Soar via private plane over the breathtaking mountains and rainforests of Honduras on your way to the legendary ruins of Copan, a feature attraction with its rich stone sculptures and intricate hieroglyphics. Discover with a private guide this Mayan civilization that flourished for more than 2,000 years and was thought to be one of the most lavish cultural centers in the New World.

Tried & True
Trujillo by Trolley
Discover the highlights of the colonial town of Trujillo on board an open-air trolley train. You'll learn about Christopher Columbus' landing here in 1502, American filibuster William Walker, the Santa Barbara Fort, the escape of the Garifuna people and more, all while relaxing in the cool ocean breeze. Hop-on. Hop-off. Discover the sights at your leisure.

Best of Trujillo
Combine the history of the trolley train, cultural diversity of the Garifuna, the flora and fauna of Campo del Mar, the intricate eco-system of the Guaimoreto Lagoon and the natural wonders of the hot springs -- and you'll experience the best of Trujillo.

Taste of Trujillo
Local cuisine, wine, bitters and chocolate -- all made the traditional way. Journey through time on a tasting tour that will take you to the days of the banana boom, the tall ships with their controversial cargo and finally, the legendary Mayans. Experience how it was done not just 100 years ago, but 1,000 years ago. An educational, yet deliciously satisfying, sensation for your taste buds.

Fun in the Sun
Campo del Mar Nature Park & Beach Break
Circulate among the 22 acres of flora and fauna, drink from a coconut, make a few animal friends and just bask in the warmth of the sun on the unspoiled beaches to truly immerse yourself in the delights of Campo del Mar. Cool off with an ocean dip for a perfect day.

Waterfall & Lagoon Adventure
With two large mountains and multiple rivers, waterfalls are everywhere at Banana Coast. Trek through a small local village, wade through streams, hike quartz-filled hills to discover the hidden waterfalls and lagoon of Betulia. Swim in the refreshing mountain stream lagoon, snorkel for fresh-water shrimp or explore the riverside.

Guaimoreto Lagoon Kayak
Discover the delicate bio-diverse ecosystem found in the mangroves as you kayak through the fascinating Guaimoreto Lagoon, which encompasses a complex area of wetlands rich in birdlife, flora, fauna and indigenous Central American animals.

The $30 million Banana Coast project, led by Grande Trujillo Authoridad, Desarollos Vision de Vida and Miami-based Global Destinations Development, currently is in the site-work stage with dredging, marine works and site-fill under way.

Plans for Banana Coast call for construction of a two-berth, Post-Panamax dock and a 50,000-square-foot shopping facility and transportation hub on 10 acres of beachfront land. Themed "Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea," Banana Coast is in talks with several cruise lines and expects to accept its first cruise ship reservations for the 2013 season.

German ports grow with the German market

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 March 2012 19 March 2012

Germany is the fastest growing source market worldwide. A total volume of 1.4 million German cruise passengers was counted for 2011, which represents an increase of 14 percent over the last year (2010: 1.22 million passengers).

The German ports are benefiting over proportionally of this growth, not only because of the trend cruising closer to home. Baltic, Norway and the Atlantic West Coast are more and more in the focus of the cruise industry and hence the German ports are the ideal homeports.

The five German ports Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck and Rostock handled in 2011 a passenger volume of more than 1.14 million and counted over 460 calls. This results in a huge economical and touristic impact for the whole destination Germany.

Under the umbrella of the "Destination Germany" the five ports exhibited together at the world biggest cruise fair in Miami, the Cruise Shipping Miami.

The market response is overall positive, as well as in Germany where the five ports estimate over 1.27 million passengers and over 540 calls for 2012. Showing up with a passenger growth of 11 percent for 2012, the five German ports strongly believe that Germany will further increase as source market and will turn more and more a whole year around destination.

Baltic exceeds cruise passenger expectations, survey shows

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 March 2012 15 March 2012

Cruise passengers set high expectations to the Baltic, but these expectations are more than matched by the experience, a survey commissioned by Cruise Baltic shows.

The survey shows that 84% of responses taken from the top 5 source markets (Italy, UK, Germany, USA, Spain; and 16% from other markets): Passenger feedback is one of the tools that has proved extremely useful in Cruise Baltic’s on-going strategic discussions. Results from a survey taken in Summer 2011 from a broad/wide group of passengers representing all the major markets revealed:

* Expectations are very high 4.16 (scale of 1 to 5) prior to cruising the Baltic. Positive news is that expectations are fulfilled with a high score of 4.48 on the passenger satisfaction index.

* overall satisfaction levels are high – 89% (the same percentage as in the 2007 Cruise Baltic survey); those ‘Likely to Return’ = 64% on a city break; and 55% on a cruise.

* comparing the satisfaction levels of the warmer Mediterranean and the Caribbean regions, versus the colder Baltic, Alaska and the Norwegian Fjords – the latter scored the highest with the Baltic 4.48 (scale of 1 to 5).

Other significant comparisons include:

* ‘satisfaction level of the cities visited’ - 4.46 (scale of 1 to 5)

* ‘quality of services’ - 4.45 (scale of 1 to 5); 87% of all passengers are very likely, or likely to recommend a cruise in the Baltic sea.

Partner Survey

Another strategic tool of importance for Cruise Baltic’s network is the partner survey. Results from the survey conducted in October 2011 amongst all the Cruise Baltic members, have revealed:

Eight key subjects were measured (scale of 1 to 5): Strategy, Value-for-money, Meetings, Secretariat, Director, Marketing, Press and Knowledge sharing: Overall satisfaction levels are very high – ranging from the role of the Director (4.69) and quality of the Secretariat (4.62), to the content of Steering Group Meetings (4.50).

Says Bo Larsen, Director, Cruise Baltic: “We evaluate constantly all our efforts, both from an internal and external perspective. The focus on value-for-money has definitely increased over the past years, which makes the partner survey a key tool in our efforts to improve our role and deliver ‘Return on Investment’ for our very loyal Baltic partners and the same goes for our strategic partners Scandinavian Airlines and Scandic Hotels.”

Conclusions: based on these responses, Cruise Baltic will continue its focus and commitment to increasing the value of the partnership and improving methods of implementing strategies; new PR and marketing initiatives will be adopted including improvements to the website, to increase Cruise Baltic visibility within the industry; and further efforts to improve knowledge sharing among members will be introduced.

UK ports attract 15% more cruise passengers in 2011

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 16 March 2012 16 March 2012

More passengers than ever before are visiting Great Britain through the country’s 50 cruise ports. Figures released today by CruiseBritain show that in 2011, more than 100 ships visited the UK – an increase of 6% over 2010. And these ships brought a record 648,000 passengers, a rise of 15%

2011 also saw 878,000 passengers join their cruise at a UK port, a 5% increase on 2010, with 86% of passengers being British. Fifty different cruise lines tied up in a UK port in 2011 with passengers taking day trips to a variety of destinations across the country. Britain’s island geography makes Round Britain cruises taking visitors from coast to castle, city to countryside in one easy visit an unusual and unique itinerary option.

Plus, Britain’s geographical proximity to complementary countries offers additional choice for a wide range of lines and ships. From expedition cruises to boutique ships, British-focussed to German, North American, French and Spanish-focussed lines, Britain’s islands, cities and coasts are growing in appeal.

Passenger volume rises at twice the rate of call increase in Baltic

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 March 2012 15 March 2012

Network Cruise Baltic has used the platform of Cruise Shipping Miami this week to announce the positive results of its Market Review 2012. The survey, conducted amongst all the Cruise Baltic destinations (25) - and for the first time including data from additional destinations St Petersburg, Kiel and Riga – reports on 2011 results and those anticipated in 2012.

The figures for 2011 summarized include:

* the number of passengers has increased by 12.8%

* the number of calls has increased by 6.0%

* the number of turnarounds has increased by 12.0%

* Copenhagen has experienced the largest numbers in terms of passengers, calls and turnarounds

Says Bo Larsen, Cruise Baltic Director: “By including the ports of St Petersburg, Kiel and Riga in our survey we wanted to ensure that we remain the ‘first port of call’ for our cruise industry colleagues who are looking for a comprehensive overview on developments in the Baltic Sea region.”

From 2000 – 2011

- the number of passengers to the region has increased by an average annual rate of 12.2% - from 1.1 million in 2000 to 3.9 million in 2011. Looking ahead to 2012 it is expected that the number of passengers will increase slightly with a growth rate of 5.8%, representing an estimated increase of approximately 230,000 passengers, to more than 4.1million.

- the number of calls has increased by an average annual rate of 4.0% per year - from 1,531 in 2000, to 2,361 in 2011. In 2012 a 9.5% increase is anticipated to 2,585 calls.

- the number of turnarounds increased by an average annual rate of 9.8%. An increase of 9.7% is expected in 2012, from 411 (in 2011) to an estimated 451.

In 2011 the top 5 ports (most passenger visits) are: Copenhagen with a 23.7% increase since 2010 = 819,000 in 2011; Tallinn with 437,517 and Helsinki with 385,000 have both increased by approximately 12%. St Petersburg saw a growth of 10.4%, 472,000 passengers and Stockholm increased by 8.9% to 452,000.

Expectations vary for 2012 between 1.3% to 5.9% growth, while Tallinn expects a 1.7% decrease. The number of calls in 2011 increased at all of the top 5 ports. Copenhagen increased the most with 19.9%; Tallinn with 5% and Helsinki with 4.5%; St Petersburg with 1.6%; and Stockholm a small increase of 0.8%.