Stena Line's New Ferry Line Starts Off Successfully

On February 1, Stena Line opened the Halmstad-Grenå ferry line with a large inauguration party that attracted more than 8,000 Halmstads residents and both the governor and ministers to the new ferry location. The new line, which aims to double both travel and freight in five years, has had a successful start with booking increases between 20 and 50 per cent compared with the previous year.

The residents of Halmstads went out of their houses when Stena Line invited the inaugural party together with Halland’s Ports and the Municipality of Halmstad on February 1 this year.

The warm reception of the new line and the ferry Stena Nautica has continued and Stena Line can see a successful start in the first month. Compared to the same time last year, on the previous route between Varberg-Grenå, travel has increased by a total of 20% on the new route.

Successful Start For Stena Line's New Ferry Line — Image Credits: cision.com

Stena Line also notes that the forward booking status shows that the start of success continues. For trips booked from Sweden, the booking situation is up until the summer up 20% and even the summer months show an increase compared to the previous year. For those who book both boat trips and accommodation, it is primarily Aarhus and Legoland that attract.

“It feels great fun that the new line has both received such a nice reception in Halmstad and we look forward to our first high season for the new line,” says Julia Kronberg, Travel Commercial Manager at Stena Line.

She also reveals that Stena Line is planning another “open boat” event in Halmstad this spring, but it is not yet exactly when.

“We get used to hearing more Danish”

From the Danish side, the booking situation for spring looks even better. In total, there are 50% more bookings from Grenå to Halmstad than the same period last year.

“The Danes have discovered the new line and destination Halmstad. In total, there are thousands of more Danish tourists who plan to travel here just this spring. It shows the strength of working together across borders to grow together on both sides of the new Kattegat region, says Julia Kronberg.

At Destination Halmstad, work on marketing Halmstad for Danish tourists has also started. Among other things, the campaign “Strandliv vs Wildmarksliv” is underway in social media in Denmark and that parts of the website have been translated into Danish for easier visitors to find.

“We get used to hearing more Danish on the town, the beach and in the forest in the future. It feels very exciting to market Halmstad as a destination to a whole new region in Denmark that has more than one million potential visitors, ”says Marcus Andreasson, Marketing Manager at Destination Halmstad.

The freight department is expected

More than half of Stena Line’s operations consist of freight and the freight department is also positive.

“We transport the volumes we expected both from the Swedish and Danish sides. We are very optimistic about the future as there is a clear interest from the market to explore new transport solutions as the new line opens. We compete with three strong cards, time, money and a lower carbon footprint than the bridges, says Dan Röding, who is responsible for the freight business on Stena Line’s Denmark lines.

Facts about the new ferry route:

The new ferry route between Halmstad and Grenå in Denmark was opened on 1 February and replaced the previous route between Varberg and Grenå. Stena Line expects to double both freight and passenger volumes on the line within five years. The ferry line is operated by the 135 meters long RoPax ferry Stena Nautica with a capacity for 900 passengers and 324 cars (1265 meters long).

Facts about the Kattegatt Alliance

In October 2019, an agreement was signed between Halmstad and the Danish municipality of Norddjur, which will open opportunities for new collaborations on both sides of the Kattegatt. These will be possible through Stena Line’s new ferry route to Grenå.