A stage for the industry – a platform for dialogue: The seventh Hamburg Cruise Days end on a high note

500,000 delighted visitors, 12 ships, a spectacular parade with five ships, glorious late summer weather and isolated protests – that was the Hamburg Cruise Days 2019.
Hamburg, 15 Sept 2019 – The seventh Hamburg Cruise Days 2019 ended on Sunday as they had started: peacefully and joyously. The world’s biggest cruise festival again attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the waterfront in Hamburg’s port. This year’s event was characterised by numerous programme highlights on the water and a varied programme on land, glorious late summer weather and a relaxed atmosphere, despite isolated protests by anti-cruise activists.
The organisers Uwe Bergmann and Katja Derow stated: “We are delighted that this year’s event was again a wonderful, peaceful celebration of cruises. So many cruise fans from around the world came to the city this weekend to enjoy the unique atmosphere in Hamburg’s port.”
Michael Otremba, Managing Director of Hamburg Tourismus GmbH, was also highly satisfied with the event: “The incredible turnout of locals and visitors to the city shows that the combination of art and cruises in the harbour exerts an irresistible fascination. By organising trade events, such as Seatrade or Business Deck, Hamburg has again demonstrated that it is a driving force for sustainability and innovation. The city is engaged in a close dialogue with shipping companies and the industry to promote solutions that have a positive effect on the quality of life in the city.”
Isolated protests by anti-cruise activists took place without any disruption to the event. The organisers stated: “We welcome a critical conversation with the protesters, provided that it is peaceful. In fact, we believe that the Hamburg Cruise Days should be a platform for critical dialogue, because this contributes towards making cruises sustainable.”
For the first time, the organisers invited industry experts to a special trade event which took place concurrently: The Business Deck, which was hosted in conjunction with ISM – International School of Management and EBC University Hamburg, brought together cruise experts from around the world to engage in a dialogue about the challenges the industry faces. This event, which will now take place regularly at the Hamburg Cruise Days, aims to provide a stage to enable experts to debate current issues in the cruise industry, including controversial and critical topics. The focus of this year’s event was destination management.
The organisers expressed their gratitude to all the many partners, sponsors and authorities involved in hosting an event on this scale. “We received truly superlative support both before and during the event”, says Uwe Bergmann. “Without the cooperation of the water police, the Oberhafenamt port authorities and the city’s other authorities, this event would not have been possible. We are also very grateful for the incredible commitment of our premium partner this year, AIDA Cruises. To organise an event of this magnitude and quality takes a truly dedicated team, and we are fortunate to have the support of our sponsors, above all the cruise lines, who make this event truly special with their ships and their presentation on shore.”

The next Hamburg Cruise Days will take place from 10 – 12 September 2021.