Sea tourism offers a wealth of opportunity for Gdansk

09.06.2010

Crowds of foreign visitors speaking a variety of different languages could be observed on 8 June 2010, sightseeing the historic streets of the Gdansk Old Town -Mariacka, Piwna and Dluga - and other enchanting sights until the late hours of the afternoon, gathered under the signs of "AMADEA", "ALBATROS" and "DELPHIN VOYAGER". These were the three cruise liners which earlier on docked alongside the Obroncow Westerplatte Quay at the Port of Gdansk Ferry and Passenger Terminal.

The luxury cruise liners brought a total of 1,775 passengers to Gdansk. Each one of them, almost 200 metres long and 25 metres wide, offers entertainment and a wide range of amenities and comforts onboard their 8-10 decks. During their sea voyage, the cruise ship passengers are served by crews of a few hundred staff, who make every effort to ensure that their guests will be back onboard the next season. A large variety of many restaurants, bars, music and sports halls, beauty parlours, cinemas and leisure rooms offer all the possible ways of relaxation, so that there is no need for the passengers to step ashore. These cruises are tailor-made to ensure that the passengers can visit some of the most spectacular towns and cities in the world. MS "Delphin Voyager" set out for a short voyage en route Kiel - Gdansk - Kiel. MS "Amadea" arrived in Gdansk on her way from Hamburg to Visby. MS "Albatros" visited Gdansk as part of her itinerary including Bremerhaven, Klaipeda, Riga, Tallinn, Sankt Petersburg, Helsinki, Mariehamn and Stockholm.

"Albatros" is scheduled to come back to Gdansk on 20 June and "Amadea" will bring along more visitors on 7 September. While we welcome each passenger ship with joy and happiness, we still hope - together with the local restaurateurs, hoteliers and shop-owners - that the cruiseliners will stay in Gdansk for a longer time than several hours. Sea tourism is gaining increasingly more popularity. However, in order to utilize the catering and accommodation services available in the Pomeranian Region more extensively, a closer cooperation is required between city promotion agencies and tour operators. It is also necessary to tailor the cruise offer to meet the needs and budgets of the Polish holidaymakers. Determined by mass tourism, this will boost the growth of the city and present a wealth of opportunity for our region.

PGA SA Public Relations Officer