Last year, more than 67,000 visitors found their way to the Volvo Museum in Arendal, just outside of Goteborg, Sweden. That is a 22 percent increase compared to 2010. Many Volvo Overseas Delivery customers tour the museum when picking up their new car at the factory in Sweden. However "One reason behind the new record is that we are drawing a large number of cruise ship passengers” says the head of the museum Sten-Ake Lyngstam.

Many of the cruise ships that arrive in Goteborg are too big to anchor at the heart of the waterfront city. Instead, they arrive at a dock 50 meters from the museum. A tour through Volvo history has become the first stop for many of the predominantly American, British and German tourists who arrive by sea to discover Goteborg. "We are also visited by a growing number of tourists from China. The Volvo brand is well known in China", says Sten-Ake Lyngstam.

A recent addition to the museum is the Volvo Ocean Race / Volvo Golf Experience exhibition, where visitors can challenge each other in setting sails on the impressive Volvo Open 70 class race yachts, or sharpen their putting skills on the golf green. The museum staff has also custom built a Volvo V50 especially for kids.

This year marks the anniversary of several Volvo classics. The Volvo F16 truck turns 25, and the Volvo 760 and the Volvo Amazon station wagon have been around for 30 and 50 years respectively, which will be celebrated with specific showcases. This year, the Volvo Museum Day will take place on May 5, 2012. Visitors will be treated to live music and given the opportunity to watch as 90 heavy trucks that take part in the veteran rally "Tunga Rallyt Vast" cross the finish line.

The Volvo Museum showcases the history of Volvo and its development from 1927 until today. Exhibits include products from the whole Volvo range: cars, trucks, buses, aviation, marine and construction equipment. The Volvo Museum is operated jointly by the Volvo Group and Volvo Car Corporation. More information, videos and photos can be seen here: www.volvomuseum.com