Tampere ends Hopealinjat’s unprofitable cruise operations

Finland’s Hopealinjat, described by Yle as the Nordic countries’ largest inland waterway operator, will cease operations after this cruise season. The City of Tampere, which owns the company, has decided to wind it down and terminate its employees.

Hopealinjat has organised inland cruises in the Pirkanmaa region for decades and operates five vessels. The company has been struggling financially for years, and its operations are no longer profitable.

Yle asked captain and tourism researcher Mikko Manka why inland waterway tourism performs better on Lake Saimaa than in the Tampere region. Manka has 25 years of experience on the waters around Tampere, Lake Saimaa and Lake Oulujärvi.

According to Manka, shorter trips are more attractive to tourists. On Saimaa, cruises are mainly operated around cities, including from Lappeenranta to the Mälkiä Canal and around Savonlinna.

Domestic inland waterway traffic carried almost 260,000 passengers last year, with about half travelling on Saimaa. However, each passenger travelled fewer kilometres on Saimaa than in the Tampere region.

Manka said the steamship Tarjanne on Lake Näsijärvi was an exception because its appeal lies specifically in its long route. He suggested that the ship’s future would be uncertain if it began operating only half-hour cruises.

Passenger numbers in the Tampere region have fallen from more than 70,000 a decade ago to fewer than 50,000 last year. Manka said pricing policy was likely to be a more important factor than the coronavirus pandemic, since passenger numbers have remained broadly stable elsewhere.

Marketing, general consumer behaviour, new destinations and new experiences also affect demand, Manka said. The company’s restaurant operations have also been identified as one of the factors behind its difficulties.

Hopealinjat began operating between Tampere and Hämeenlinna in 1949. In 2017, its shareholders included Tampere and Hämeenlinna, as well as Valkeakoski, Lempäälä, Akaa, VR, Nokia, Kangasala and Hattula. By 2026, Tampere had become the company’s sole owner and decided to close it.

Asko Koskinen, the current chair of Suomen Hopealinja, said he would have liked inland waterway traffic to continue in Tampere, but not under the company’s operation.