EDITORIAL
1/2016
HOPE FLOATS
Thanks to those ships, the whole country is still afloat. This is the
conclusion one comes to going through the recent economic outlook
by the Finnish Technology Industry. Finland just can’t get back on the
growth path; of the companies representing the technology industry, 60 %
reported that their new orders and order books had shrunk during the
autumn.
The rare hero in this gloomy story is marine. Orders placed for ships
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have helped to fill the order books; numerous ship deliveries are scheduled
for the coming years, to be completed by 2020. If the orders for ships
are disregarded, new orders received by the other technology companies
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Petri Charpentier
remain at the same level as in 2009.
Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, acknowledged that despite trying
times, the shipyards are doing rather well. Making an appearance in
PROJECT MANAGER
Jaakko Lätti
Helsinki in November, Meyer said that previously cruise lines were cautious,
ordering only one ship at a time, with a possible option for another. Now
orders are put on a string and business is booming.
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Vappu Virtanen
What a difference does a year make. Since the Meyer family bought
Turku shipyard in autumn 2014, seven ship orders have been won – from
three different clients – and there is work for five years on the shipyard
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Riitta Yli-Öyrä
now.
According to a new study from Cruise Lines International Association
(CLIA) – published in October – global demand for cruising reached
22 million passengers in 2014, up 68 percent from 13.1 million passengers
in 2004.
CONTRIBUTORS
Sami J. Anteroinen
Merja Kihl
Ari Mononen
Total contributions of the cruise industry to the global economy
reached $119.9 billion in 2014, up from $117 billion the previous year.
The cruise industry has enjoyed progressive growth over the last 30 years,
COVER PHOTO
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd
driven initially by demand from North America, but then expanding more
and more to Europe, Australia and now Asia.
According to CLIA’s study, those millions and millions of passengers
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PunaMusta Oy
are sourced from all around the world. Still, North America accounted
for 55 percent (or 12.2 million) cruise passengers. Europe accounted for
29 percent (6.4 million) passengers. Apart from North America and Europe,
other regions of the world account for nearly 85 percent of the world’s
population, yet represent only 16 percent of cruisers.
For example in Asia, cruise tourism is growing at double-digit rates,
both in capacity and as a passenger source market. The country on the
driver’s seat is China, adding 480,000 more cruise