A contributing factor to the cruise traffic not recovering after the pandemic is that the major attraction St. Petersburg is no longer a destination after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
During this year's summer season, which runs from April to October, the Stockholm ports will receive around 120 international cruise ships, which is on par with last year, writes Dagens industri.
In terms of tourists, it's about 200,000 cruise passengers in 2024, compared to around 650,000 before the pandemic broke out.
The number of cruise ships coming to Stockholm next year is in line with this year's cruise traffic, according to global bookings made two years in advance.
In 2026, we'll see a clear increase. But it'll take some time before we're back to previous record levels. We'll reach that around 2030, says Stefan Scheja at Stockholm's ports, to Dagens industri.
On average, the ships are filled to 85 percent, and the largest ships can accommodate up to 4,000 passengers. This year's occupancy rate is better than expected, according to Stefan Scheja.
Around half of this year's cruise tourists are Germans, followed by Americans – around one-fifth. Then come the Brits.
