| Newbies enliven busy Europe season

Europe is set to welcome 20
new ships, more than 200 in
total, and three new cruise lines
this summer.
There’s no excuse for not finding the perfect
European cruise for your clients – this summer
season will see 206 ships operated by 64 lines
in 528 destinations.
Also, four new destinations have opened to
cruise ships: Lyme Regis (UK); Vlissingen
(Holland); and Brac and Makarska (Croatia).
As the 2012 summer program gets underway,
79 ships are on their way back from winter
routes in Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America
and Africa.
They will be joined by 20 vessels sailing for
the first time in Europe, including 13 ships reentering
service for new operators.
Five of the brand-new ships were christened
in May, achieving a record number of
European-built vessels launched in one month.
The debuts included Costa Fascinosa (in
Venice, Italy), MSC Divina (Marseilles, France)
AmaCerto (Vilshofen, Germany) and AIDAMar
(Hamburg, Germany), while the Carnival
Breeze sailed on its maiden voyage from
Venice to Barcelona before crossing the
Atlantic for a christening ceremony in Miami.
According to other statistics compiled for the
European Cruise Council (ECC) and Cruise Lines
International Association (CLIA), 45 lines will
operate in the Eastern Mediterranean, 44 in
the Western Med, 40 in Central Med, 43 in
Norway/the Arctic, 40 in the Baltic, 30 in the
Atlantic islands and 44 in other Northern
Europe regions.
“The number of new destinations, new lines
and new ships entering service in Europe this
year are all further evidence of how cruising is
growing and will continue to grow in the
region, drawing on Europe’s unique offering in
terms of its rich culture, its varied geography
and its long maritime traditions, and its
expertise in hospitality and service,” said
Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, ECC chairman.
Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA,
said: “Seeing so many ships arriving in
European ports for the start of the summer
cruising season underlines how the European
cruise sector is an integral and growing part of
the global cruise industry that offers
consumers high-value holiday options and
economic benefits to hundreds of
communities.”
Of all the ships in Europe, 33 will each carry more
than 2,500 passengers, 62 will carry between
1,000 and 2,500 passengers, 31 will have 500
to 1,000, and 80 ships will carry less than 500.