FROM MARITIME TRANSPORT TO MARITIME EXPERIENCE

CRUISES: In the old days, a passenger ship simply transported people from A to B. Today passenger ships can only survive if they have something more to offer.

DFDS Seaways, the passenger division of Danish shipping company DFDS, launched a new strategy in 2005 to upgrade its public profile and improve its offer to customers.

“Unsurprisingly perhaps, this attitude shift took place following the appointment of the new group chief executive, Søren Jespersen”, says Jes Mikkel Svare, director at DFDS with responsibility for Denmark and Sweden. “It was the new chief executive’s view that the shipping company’s image was rather dusty, and together with a marketing agency, we developed a number of new initiatives called “Next generation”.

Mini cruises
Customer needs became the basis of our entire business, and that meant having good customer knowledge and adjustment of the ship according to their wishes.”

Before DFDS Seaways reached this insight, various positive and negative experiences had been gained over previous years. In the early 1980s, the shipping company had already recognised the need to focus more efforts on the “experience” industry and the cruise market. They made attempts in Miami, Florida, but the strategy didn’t work and DFDS Seaways quickly withdrew. It meant however that the company possessed a very large passenger ship, which then was put into use on the route between Copenhagen and Oslo.

The company soon realised that there was great demand for mini-cruises, and that many passengers would like a lot more than just being transported from one port to another.

“These experiences naturally formed part of our concept work”, says Jes Mikkel Svare. “We are competing with a number of transport forms such as aircraft, trains and buses, so to us it is about retaining passengers with a maritime experience of high quality.”

Not a cafeteria
“Our ships are floating first class hotels, and in our restaurants we have removed everything which resembles a cafeteria. Quality is high on many different levels, and everybody is served at the table. We have made sure that the maritime feel is expanded, so that no one fails to notice that they are on board a ship. We have also discovered that customers change segments. They may be having a private party on one trip, and a family outing on the next. So the ship must offer facilities for many age groups and many interests. The ship’s conference offer is a very special and very sought-after service on the Co-penhagen-Oslo route, where people can be working as well as taking advantage of the ship’s many offers. A new creation for this customer segment is the establishment of a wine bar, where passengers can enjoy quality and cult wines by the glass. The many young passengers have also been provided for. The choice of activities is adjusted to various age groups, and in addition there is a ’Youth@Club’, an internet café which is targeted at 8-15 year olds. “We have discovered however”, reveals Mikkel Svare, “that this facility is popular with a number of passengers who are well over 15 years!”

“We feel well prepared for the future, and we are sure that we can compete in the experience market”, says Jes Mikkel Svare. “Our new concept is only just over one year old, but we know already that we can earn money, and that we have a growth strategy which works.”

Wine tasting – part of the experience on DFDS cruise liners

Future ready
DFDS Seaways operates four routes: Copenhagen-Helsing-borg-Oslo, Gothenburg-Kristiansand-Newcastle, Esbjerg-Harwich and Amsterdam-New-castle. The focus is on the ’major city to major city’ concept, as well as the ro-pax concept, where container cargo is combined with passenger transport. The Copen-hagen-Oslo route, which operates every day all year round, must have 1,100 passengers on average and in the peak season 1,800. Jes Mikkel Svare also reveals that DFDS Seaways will launch a new passenger ship “King of Scandinavia” on 10 March this year, to operate the route between Amsterdam and Newcastle, so that the shipping company will have two ’major city to major city’ thoroughbred liners at its disposal.