Collapse of Baltic line caps off a torrid week for the cruise industry - Telegraph.co.uk

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Collapse of Baltic line caps off a torrid week for the cruise industry - Telegraph.co.uk Posted: 13 Jul 2020 12:00 AM PDT Birka Cruises, which has been sailing for almost half a century, has announced that it is ceasing operation, citing "the financial impact of Covid-19" along with uncertainty facing the industry. Cruise experts said this shows how "fragile" the industry is after months without passengers, and that other lines may not survive. But at this stage it is unlikely to affect Britons who long to return to sailing, with an exact date of when they can embark unclear after the Foreign Office updated its guidance – advising against all travel by cruise ship. The cruise line, part of the Finish Eckero Group, operated a single ship, the 1,430-passenger Birka Stockholm, that sailed between Stockholm, Sweden and Mariehamn in the autonomous Åland Islands, where the company is based. In line with the rest of the industry, Birka Cruises paused its sailing in mid-March. Only a handful of lines have returned to the continent's rivers and coasts. Oceana left the P&O Cruises fleet this month, with many other vessels at risk of being scrapped or sold Now redundancy talks have begun with the company's 509 employees, 466 of whom worked aboard the ship. In a statement on its website, the cruise line said: "All of us who have worked at Birka Cruises want to take the opportunity to thank you for all the happy laughs and encouraging comments over the years. "It is said that the guest does the party and you, as our guest, really did. Big thanks for everything." Jane Archer, one of the UK's leading cruise experts, told Telegraph Travel: "Given Birka Cruises is a very niche cruise-ferry operator in the Baltic Sea, I don't think its demise will have a huge direct impact on the UK or the way other companies conduct their businesses.  "However, the collapse of any shipping line is bad news. It underlines just how fragile the industry is as a result of this terrible pandemic that has forced all cruise lines around the world to halt their sailings." Cruise writer John Wilmott said: "Small, niche cruise lines are likely to be most at risk due to travel's shutdown, in parallel with any other company in the travel industry. "It depends on a cruise line's financial robustness and their continuing arrangements with banks and investors whether they will ride out the storm. "With cruising likely to be the last type of travel to get back anywhere near normal, other casualties cannot be ruled out." Certainly Birka Cruises isn't the only Swedish operator to have been dealt a crippling blow by coronavirus. Swedish shipping company, Silja Line, has stated that it will be making 300 job cuts due to the  ongoing effects of the pandemic. Owned by the AS Tallink Grupp, Silja reported a 72.5 per cent decrease in the number of passengers in June 2020 compared to the previous year. The collapse of Birka Cruises and Silja Line comes after Spanish cruise line Pullmantur – which is partly owned by  Royal Caribbean – filed for "reorganisation." "Despite the great progress the company made to achieve a turnaround in 2019 and its huge engagement and best efforts of its dedicated employees, the headwinds caused by the pandemic are too strong for Pullmantur to overcome without a reorganisation," said Pullmantur. Pullmantur's three ships – the Sovereign, Monarch, and Horizon – are incorporated by Royal Caribbean, who may send all three to the scrap yard.  Last month, Carnival Corporations' Costa Victoria, a 2,394-passenger capacity ship with only 23 years of service, became the first ship to be sent to the scrappers as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. The new decade was meant to be a golden era for cruising; 19 new ships, including Richard Branson's $710 million (£563 million) Scarlet Lady, were due to launch this year alone. Ben Cordwell, travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, said: "The cruise industry will go through a period of self-reinvention, which will likely be in the form of stringent social distancing, as well as a number of health and safety procedures. "It will be interesting to see if these measures attract customers or deter them in the months ahead. Cruise companies could find that the real challenge is getting customers back onto vessels."

Latvian ladies attract international intimacy, local lads lose out - Baltic Times Posted: 10 May 2012 12:00 AM PDT RIGA - It's a hard road finding the perfect man. You know how it goes: they're either already married or gay. Or perhaps there's a host of other reasons why ladies of the Baltic States are taking matters of the heart into their own hands and reaching out to interested overseas admirers? Aurelia International Marriage Agency is a company that started in Latvia after a discussion amongst some girl friends about the difficulty they were having finding a suitable spouse. They began uniting likely lovers back in 1998, but during the past few years the agency has noticed that Baltic ladies are broadening their horizons when it comes to partner potential. Agency director Alona Kuzmina said that between three to five years ago, interest in obtaining a foreign partner became higher and higher. "As soon as we entered the European Union and there was no need for a visa to visit many countries, ladies registered themselves on different Web sites and they had an interest in our agency as well." Not only has it affected the women, but it's opened the doors of opportunity for men from other EU countries, too. "Men from abroad come to Latvia because the average [number] of single women here is much higher." From the three Baltic States, Latvia has the highest number of women looking for foreign partners. However, rumors abound about Latvian women – that they are "easy to get into bed," or have been in the past. It could be argued this is a main reason many men travel to the country. "It is said about young ladies in night clubs. But not all of them, of course. The well-mannered and well-educated suffer because of these sayings." They suffer because there are many aspects about Baltic women which men-folk find appealing – and we're talking about the genuine guys who aren't just interested in a weekend romance, but a happily-ever-after ending. Kuzmina said: "The best qualities of Baltic women are the following: Number one, they still have the mentality of the Soviet period; it means they are family oriented and they know and they like to care about their man - to be a housewife is normal for them. And number two, at the same time, they are well-educated, they speak at least two foreign languages, and they live the modern life. They combine all these characteristics." On the flip side of the coin, common qualities Baltic beauties seem to be looking for in a foreign partner are not necessarily the stereotypical "tall, dark and handsome" bachelor. "Women look for inner qualities. [They seek] a man who can be a gentleman, on whom they can rely on, who will support them in any situation," says Kuzmina. She explained that ladies are looking for these particular traits in their "international interests" because there is no support from the males in their homeland. "Local men do not want to work or to help with housework. Women can rely only on themselves, and mostly they make all the decisions themselves, even if it is connected with some men's work." She also said there is a noticeable age demographic seeking long-term relationships. "Starting from 30 it is more difficult to find a partner. There are a lot of ladies after 50 who want to meet a life partner, but it is almost impossible. Local men in their 50s are too old for their age physically and mentally, and usually they have problems with alcohol." Statistics show among under-30s in Latvia there is a considerable difference in the number of men-to-women ratio – in this age bracket men outnumber the women by more than 9,000. However, from 30-39, there are around 3,000 more women than men. These disparities are thought to be caused by several factors. The first is the high suicide rate among Latvian men. It is understood the pressure placed upon males to succeed financially when the country gained independence has generated intolerable stress levels, resulting in increased depression and alcoholism. Heavy drinking has also meant mortality rates have increased; men are dying younger because of health-related issues, linked to liquor. As it stands, there is also a 10-year difference (according to EU statistics) between the average life expectancy of men and women in Latvia – 69 and 79, respectively. Additionally, a 2010 analysis of the population's number by gender shows in the over-65 age group, the number of females exceeds the number of males by 35 percent. All these factors make finding a mate hard work for those females intent on finding lasting love. Another factor Kuzmina mentioned was that: "After entering the EU, able-working men went abroad for better earnings and to get a better life; most of them stayed there for permanent living." So the male shortage also stems from local guys moving to what they see as "greener pastures." A noticeable phenomenon is the number of Latvian ladies who have married a man from another country and gone to live abroad. Kuzmina said when it comes to choosing where a potential mate is located, the main thought or desire is for European countries. "The reason is that it is easy to get home and to visit relatives. But I can say that what ladies want usually changes after meeting the 'right' man. Love makes changes in priorities." Ieva Johnson, a native Latvian, met her now-husband in Mexico, when they were both on vacation scuba diving. He's from Minnesota, USA. She said, however, the fact he was from a different country to her own wasn't part of the initial attraction. "I didn't care about that. I just liked how fun he was." Of course, she spent time socializing with and being courted by her homeland beaus prior to meeting her husband. "Yes, I've dated Latvian men before. It's the same as anywhere - there are good guys and not so good guys. Some of them were very romantic and sweet, others self-centered and just players over all." But she thinks part of the reason why Baltic women tend to migrate to another country, if they do meet someone foreign, is a learned, or expected, behavior from the old times. "...even living in Latvia, women seem to move in with their men, and not the other way around. For me it was because of the opportunities. It is way easier to start a business and have it be successful in the USA than it is in Latvia. Latvia is great for many things, but business opportunities would not be one of them," says Johnson. She agrees there are ways Latvian lads let themselves down, though, when it comes to "keeping" a local lady for life. "Latvian men just need to appreciate their women more. I've been married now for almost five years and my husband still makes me breakfast in bed." She said in her own experience there are minimal difficulties which come with marrying someone from a different country to her own. "The only problem that I have is the distance. Sometimes I get homesick and I want to see all my friends and family." Aurelia International Marriage Agency

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