Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Head of tourism: Rostock benefits from cruise passengers

With winter approaching, most cruise ships head for warmer climes than the Baltic Sea.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Head of tourism: Rostock benefits from cruise passengers

With winter approaching, most cruise ships head for warmer climes than the Baltic Sea. A ship comes to Warnemünde. For tourism professionals, the passengers are a kind of ambassador for Rostock.

Rostock-Warnemünde (dpa/mv) - The cruise season in Warnemünde ends on Monday with the very last attempt. For Rostock's tourism director Matthias Fromm, the industry is of great relevance for the location. "The city is thus opening up to an international audience that not only uses sightseeing and cultural offers, dines in the restaurants or buys souvenirs," he told the German Press Agency. "Many people have positive experiences here, tell their families and friends about the beautiful beach, the historic old town and their experiences."

Even though the main season ended on November 2nd with the arrival of the "Aidasol", the "Amera" of the Phoenix Reisen shipping company will be mooring in Warnemünde next Monday as the "Last Cruise Ship 2022". According to Rostock Port, 294,000 sea travelers will have boarded and disembarked at 139 calls by 30 cruise ships. 200 attempts were registered this year. However, the ongoing Russian war of aggression in Ukraine had a negative effect.

According to earlier information, fewer than 50 calls with a total of almost 100,000 passengers were counted in 2021. In the pre-Corona year 2019, there were 196 ship calls with a good 600,000 sea travelers. Nevertheless, Fromm was pleased that passenger numbers could have recovered further compared to 2020 and 2021. "I very much hope that we will be able to welcome many guests from all over the world to Warnemünde again in 2023 and convince them of the region."

In the past season, the Germans again made up the largest number of all cruise tourists with 116,000 passengers, followed by 40,000 Americans, 5,200 Britons, 3,800 Canadians and 3,100 Italians and 13,900 tourists from 131 other nations, as Rostock Port announced at the beginning of November.

Around 70,000 passengers from all over the world discovered Warnemünde, Rostock, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania or the German capital Berlin as day guests, and 112,000 sea travelers began and/or ended their cruise in the passenger port at the mouth of the Warnow.