SCANDINAVIAN Seaways claims strong demand for sailings out of Newcastle has led it to double capacity to Amsterdam and add new routes to Gothenburg and Kristiansand.
The company plans to put King of Scandinavia on the Newcastle-Amsterdam route, alongside Admiral of Scandinavia, between April and September. This will bring the average number of sailings to six per week in each direction.
On February 5, Princess of Scandinavia will commence two new services to Kristiansand and Gothenburg. The routes will be operated on a twice-weekly, year-round basis.
ScanSea managing director John Crummie said: “Newcastle has become an increasingly popular departure point from the UK. In 1991, it accounted for only 5% of ScanSea’s sailing capacity. By the end of 1999, this will be 54%.”
Crummie explained there was less competition from low-cost airlines on departures out of Newcastle. He admitted the company’s other UK port, Harwich, had been affected by competition from carriers using the airports in and around London.
Travel agents in the Northeast and Scotland had seen the potential of ScanSea’s programme out of Newcastle, and maximised their bookings.
The ferry operator has a ú2.5m budget for advertising this year, ú250,000 of which will be spent on a television campaign in the Northeast and Scottish regions.
Meanwhile, the company has just launched its 1999 Cruisebreaks brochure, which incorporates the new Newcastle to Kristiansand and Gothenburg routes.
The brochure features two, three and four-night cruises to destinations in Scandinavia, Germany and Holland. It also sees the introduction of themed breaks for the first time.
The Classic Cruisebreak is based on the traditional notion of cruising in the 1920s and has sailings from January 16 to March 31. The Romantic Cruisebreak for couples will operate from September 1 to October 31.