Historic moment as two cruise ships arrive at Saaremaa harbor at same time
History was made at Saaremaa harbor on Tuesday when, for the first time in its 17-year history, two cruise ships arrived at the same time, bringing over 600 tourists to the island.
From the first of the two ships, the 162-metre-long "Silver Wind," over 130 nature-loving tourists, mostly from the USA were brought to the harbor, where they were then taken by bus to explore Saaremaa's natural delights. The second vessel," Amadea" brought a further 513 tourists from Germany to the island.
Ryan Jenkins, manager of cruise ship operator DenEesti, confirmed that there are half as many cruise ships sailing in the Baltic this year than in 2022. However, it is no longer the coronavirus that keeps tourist numbers down, but the proximity of Russia's war in Ukraine and the inability for cruise ships to visit St. Petersburg.
Four more cruise ships are expected to arrive in Saaremaa harbor during this year's tourist season.
"We have stats from January to April and it's good to see that it is foreign visitors, who have found their way back to us. Especially the Finns and the Germans, who actually disappeared during the coronavirus period. The number of Estonians (visiting) is also on the up. I think we are going to have a really positive summer," said Helina Andruškevitšus, head of Visit Saaremaa.
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Editor: Michael Cole
