The realisation of this year’s cruise season remains uncertain in Helsinki due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. So far, cruise ship visits for the entire early summer, a total of over 100 visits, have been cancelled, and the situation is constantly developing. To prevent the spread of the virus, Finland’s borders will remain closed until 13 May, and various travel restrictions are set to continue at least until late summer.
Based on advance reservations, the cruise season was set to begin in early April, but now it seems that the first international cruise ships won’t be arriving in Helsinki before July, and even in the best case scenario, the season will be considerably less active than usual in both ship visits and the number of passengers.
– The situation is very unfortunate from the perspective of Helsinki’s and the region’s tourism industry, states VP Passenger Services Sari Nevanlinna from the Port of Helsinki.
– Some companies providing services to cruise ship visitors focus their operations particularly on the summer season, due to which these cancelled cruise ship visits will have a major negative impact on the income of many entrepreneurs. The number of international tourists visiting Helsinki will likewise be significantly reduced.
As regards late summer, the situation is dependent on the potential dismantling of international travel restrictions. The situation regarding Helsinki’s cruise summer can be monitored here.
For more information, please contact:
VP Passenger Services Sari Nevanlinna, Port of Helsinki Ltd
sari.nevanlinna(at)portofhelsinki.fi
tel. +358 9 310 33538
