Record number of cruise ship tourists visited Stockholm this summer

During the summer season, a record number of passengers from international cruise ships visited the city: 619,000 in total.

That number was an increase of 20,000 from the previous summer, which was also a record year. 

All in all, 268 international cruise ships came to Stockholm's ports between May and October, with the final boat arriving on Thursday, compared with 263 in 2017 .

Of those, 67 boats were so-called 'turnaround' vessels which started or ended their journey in Stockholm, often meaning passengers spent an extra day or night in the city therefore spending more money in the capital's restaurants, cafes, shops, and tourist attractions. 

“The majority of visitors are Americans and Germans and the third largest group is English,” said Stefan Scheja from Ports of Stockholm in a statement.

The increase in tourism isn't all good news though, with the organization noting that in recent years 80 percent of cruise ships have left waste water in the city ports. Regulations for emissions in the Baltic Sea will be tightened from 2019-2021, requiring passenger ships to leave sewage on land or be equipped with approved treatment plants of their own.