Browsing by Author "Väyrynen, Antti"

Passenger ship traffic has been a feature of the media in recent times. Particular attention has been given to the steady growth of passenger traffic between Helsinki ad Tallinn. The Port of Helsinki rose to Europe's busiest passenger port last year. The history of passenger ship traffic from Helsinki has been a success story. Over in recent years, we have moved a new phase of transition, where most of the small, slow and old ships have been replaced by new high-speed passenger car ferries. The aim of this study is to find out what kind of experiences, opinions and wishes Finnish ship passengers have to travel on board. The study focuses on the routes between Helsinki and Tallinn and Helsinki and Stockholm. The study aims to outline the reasons for leaving the ship, what issues are considered to be important in ship tourism and how shipping can be developed in the future. Before mapping passengers' opinions, it is presented in a wider context of the Baltic Sea passenger ship traffic, and looks at the development and current situation of the routes being studied. The research was carried out in summer 2017 through form designing. The target group was the Finnish ship passengers traveling from Helsinki to Tallinn and Stockholm. A total of 98 ferry passengers were interviewed, 54 of which were on the Tallinn route and 44 on the Stockholm route. The research product is qualitative in nature, but quantitative presentation has also been used to illustrate the results. 61% of the passengers on the Tallinn route responded to their shopping trip as the primary cause of their trip, while 78% of the passengers on the Stockholm route classed their cruise as a holiday. The main reasons for choosing a ship were a short trip time and a suitable timetable on the Tallinn route. The main reason for choosing a ship on the Stockholm route was the cabin range. The most important issues in ship tourism on the Tallinn route were the location of the terminals along good routes, the comfort and the services and the affordability of the trip. The nearby location and the distance traveled by Tallinn during the same day was also appreciated. The most important issues on the Stockholm route were the ship's comfort, the location of the terminals on good routes, the ship's versatile cabin selection and a good customer service. At the heart of the Stockholm route were cruise experiences with various leisure facilities. The plentiful program offering, especially for families with children, was also praised. Queuing and congestion were experienced as problems on both routes. Some of the travelers on the Stockholm route experienced a major disadvantage of the journey, but some of the passengers were willing to pay for quality and level of service. The M/S Finlandia was chosen the best ferry to the Tallinn route and the M/S Silja Symphony as the best ferry to the Stockholm route. The passengers' future wishes repeatedly related to the Tallinn route with fast connections, quiet living spaces for ships and low-cost travel deals. Also on the Stockholm route were wanted high-speed and high-quality ships, as well as a varied program of events ranging from artists to changing themes. The vessels on both routes were hoping for more versatile and inexpensive catering choices.