"PP SPb MF" PLC representatives at Seatrade Cruise Global 2017
23 March 2017
From 14 - 16 March 2017, the 33rd annual specialized exhibition Seatrade Cruise Global was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA). This event is considered to be the largest event in the world, which gathers together representatives of the leading cruise corporations, major seaports, shipbuilders, tour operators and ship owners.
"Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg "Marine Façade" PLC in collaboration with the tourist industry representatives of St. Petersburg answered all the questions visitors asked about the city and the port, in particular, they told about the possibilities of the city to receive and service modern cruise vessels, as well as a unique opportunity for foreign citizens to enjoy a 72-hour visa-free stay in Russia for passengers of cruise and ferry vessels.
There was a various information presented at the Port’s stand about the main tourist routes, including the low season attractions, St. Petersburg most famous sightseen, as well as the developed transport infrastructure of the city, due to which one can quickly and easily get to the famous city suburbs now.
Within the framework of the international exhibition, management of "PP SPb MF" PLC held a number of business meetings with the cruise companies and associations representatives, during which the parties discussed prospects for further productive cooperation and talked about the development of the cruise industry in the Baltic Sea region and in St. Petersburg in particular.
The parties shared their opinions on the expectations of the cruise seasons 2017-2018, discussed the possibility of increasing the number of cruise ship calls of large dimensions to the Passenger port of St. Petersburg, the main factors of the passenger traffic growth in the coming years, as well as advanced solutions and the port possibilities for servicing cruise tourists.
As it was noted during discussions, setting up the most modern and capacious cruise vessels in the Baltic Sea region allows to count on the sustainable development of cruise tourism in St. Petersburg. Cruise season 2017 promises to have a record number of ship calls in the Port’s history, which is connected with tourists’ sustained interest in visiting Saint Petersburg. According to the applications received from cruise lines, in 2017 the port will receive over 540,000 tourists and over 240 cruise ships, and this list is growing in diversity with each year.
"PP SPb MF" PLC representatives also discussed the prospects of the “the port of start and end of cruises” establishment on the basis of the Passenger Port as a part of the initiative promotion in expanding the 72-hour visa-free stay regime in Russia for marine tourists, as well as such related matters as the need in services for luggage transportation and the cost of services in case of “the port of start and end of cruises” establishment in the Port.
During the business meetings, the representatives of the cruise lines expressed their full satisfaction with the quality of the services rendered in the Passenger port of St. Petersburg and indicated the intentions in the future for active cooperation and confirmed the desire to bring new ships to the Port.
Also, within the framework of the exhibition, "PP SPb MF" PLC representatives took part in the largest specialized conference "The State of the Global Cruise Industry", dedicated to the prospects and problems of the cruise industry development. During the conference, the port representatives were able to listen to reports of the leading industry experts, in particular, cruise corporations' heads, on the most topical issues of the business, such as technologies and innovations, shipbuilding, route planning, ecology and safety.
More than 700 companies from all over the world took part in the Seatrade Cruise Global 2017 and more than 10 thousand people attended the exhibition.
The next year the exhibition will be held from 5 - 8 March in Fort Lauderdale, USA. "PP SPb MF" PLC is planning to take part in the expo in collaboration with the main companies of St. Petersburg tourist industry.
