Friday 27th of May 2016 will be remembered as an important day in Saint-Tropez’s cruise history: for the first time, the famous typical Provençal port accommodated 5 cruise ships in its Bay!
The 137-meter long ship Star Breeze – from Windstar Cruises – first appeared at sunrise, around 7 am, with 212 passengers on board. After spending the day anchored in the mythical Bay, the luxury ship left at night to continue its trip to Monaco.
One hour after the arrival of the Star Breeze, the yachts Seadream I and Seadream II from Seadream Yacht Club, also anchored off the coast of Saint-Tropez.
Then, at 11 am, the ship Azamara Quest (702 passengers and 408 crew members) arrived from Pisa, Italy, for a one-day call scheduled on its itinerary to Cannes.
At least, the Star Flyer, a four-masted barkentine owned by Star Clippers, joined the 4 ships in the afternoon.
Those five calls highlight the fact that 2016 is going to be an exceptional year for Saint-Tropez: 90 cruise ships are scheduled (a 28% growth in calls compared to 2015), which means 40 000 passengers and 23 000 crew members expected.
For decades Saint-Tropez has been a beloved cruise destination, but these days the success of the port comes along with a significant increase in simultaneous calls: in addition to the five cruise ships that anchored in the Bay the 27th of May, 11 double calls are expected in 2016! As the cruise ships that sail to Saint-Tropez are mostly part of the premium and luxury segments, and have longer calls than before (until late in the night, if not 24h), the economic impact for the city is more important than ever. International customers with a high purchasing power can enjoy the destination at their convenience, strolling in the beautiful village or taking a one-day shore excursion.
With landmark ports such as Saint-Tropez or Toulon, and the actions of the Var Provence Cruise Club (a public organisation launched by the Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop the cruise activity in the department) that works closely with the ports, tourist offices and professionals to provide the passengers with high quality services, the Var has become a top destination for the cruise lines. Jacques Bianchi, President of the Var Chamber of Commerce, is enthusiastic: “Since the VPCC has been launched in 2008, the number of calls in the department increased of 80% and the number of cruise passengers of 276%”. Small but beautiful typical ports such as Sanary-sur-Mer developed their activity in a spectacular way (+73% scheduled calls compared to 2015), while Frejus and Cavalaire will accommodate their first cruise ships next year.
