For the first time a Christmas-themed tour for British cruise tourists includes Tallinn as one of its destinations

27.11.2012
On Tuesday Fred Olsen Cruises will bring to Tallinn the vessel Black Watch with approximately 700 British cruise tourists. The Christmas-themed tour introduces our British guests with Estonian holiday season customs and provides them with an option to shop on Tallinn Christmas markets.

"The visit of Black Watch is an achievement for us, as the British have not organized cruises that far to the east in the Baltic Sea at such a time of the year", says Sirle Arro, Head of Marketing and Communication Department at the Port of Tallinn.

The majority of tourists from the vessel that is to moor at the cruise berth in the Port of Tallinn by 9.00 in the morning will be headed for guided tours organized by Estonian Holidays. Besides the usual sights of the Old Town, Kadriorg, Pirita, Tallinn panoramic-tour and Rocca al Mare Open Air Museum, several Christmas-themed activities are planned in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season.

The agenda includes the Christmas tour of Viimsi with the concert in the St. Jacob's church, the historical Christmas exhibition in Viimsi Open Air Museum and the exhibition telling about Christmas celebration in Soviet times in the Museum of Coastal Folk. "The Museum of Coastal Folk will also host a small Christmas fair. After that tourists will have time for winter adventures in Tallinn on their own, as well as for shopping to prepare for the coming holidays", notes Arro.

Some tourists will of course opt to discover Tallinn, its sights and its Christmas markets at their own pace. "It is a bit unfortunate that snow as a visible symbol of holiday spirit is expected only a couple of days after this visit", says Arro. "We hope, however, that tourists will be able to experience the true Christmas Spirit in Tallinn, and that some of them decide to return here also in the future".

Black Watch will bring 655 cruise tourists to Tallinn. Most of them are from the Great Britain, however, some are from Canada, Australia, USA, Ireland, Norway, Slovakia and Thailand. The crew of the cruise vessel consists of 338 members.

The Christmas cruise for British tourists started on the last Thursday in the UK’s largest passenger port of Southampton. Tallinn is the first port of call in this cruise. The vessel will remain in Tallinn from 9.00 to 16.00. Having visited Estonia the ship will go to Saint-Petersburg and after that on the return trip will stop in Helsinki, Warnemünde and Kiel. It will return to Southampton on December 4.

During this Christmas season the Port of Tallinn also expects Swedish cruise tourists on Birka Cruises ship. In the end of December and in early January Tallinn will traditionally become one of the destinations for winter cruises with Russian tourists operated by Tallink and St. Peter Line.

The total of nine cruise ships will visit Tallinn in the coming winter, which is two more than the year ago.

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