More cruise passengers visiting Swedish ports during a record-breaking summer for tourism
News 2026-09-21
The figures for cruise traffic to Swedish ports are pointing upward again after several weak years. During this year’s summer season, both the number of cruise calls and the number of passengers increased compared with the same period last year.
The security situation has had major negative consequences for cruise traffic to Swedish ports since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Demand for routes through the Baltic Sea has fallen sharply, bringing the initial post-pandemic recovery to an abrupt halt.
Now, the trend is turning upward again. During this year’s peak season (May–August), there were 257 cruise calls, representing an increase of nine percent compared with the same period last year. This runs counter to the general trend in recent years of declining numbers of calls at Swedish ports. At the same time, cruise passenger volumes increased by around twelve percent compared with the same period in 2025, reaching just under 650,000 passengers.
“This marks a clear shift in trend after several challenging years for cruise traffic in the Baltic Sea. The fact that both the number of calls and passengers are increasing is positive and shows that Sweden remains an attractive destination for the international cruise industry,” says Niclas Härenstam.
Nynäshamn is the port city recording the largest increase, with 15 declared cruise calls compared with just two during last year’s peak season — an increase of more than 600 percent. Passenger numbers have risen by a similar amount.
The rebound in cruise traffic coincides with historically high figures for Swedish tourism overall. Visit Sweden and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth recently reported record numbers for both hotel nights and international visitors.
