Buoyancy in UK cruise port visits nets £17.5 million
The UK is growing in importance for cruise lines with increased numbers of people embarking from these shores. Research conducted on behalf of VisitBritain’s Cruise UK initiative shows that an estimated 228,250 people took ex-UK cruises last year, up from 177,167 in 2000. The UK cruise port statistics indicate that a further 150,000 passengers from overseas visited the UK to take a cruise in 2003. The growth has been fuelled by more vessels calling at UK ports and more cruise lines adding the country to their itineraries. The number of ports visited was up to 40 last year compared with 36 in 2000. The number of cruise ships docking at UK ports increased from 67 in 2000 to a record 87 last year while the number of cruise lines rose from 33 to 46 over the period. The economic value of cruise ship calls is estimated at £17.5 million in 2003 despite a reduction in the percentage of passengers taking shore excursions, down from 79% in 2000 to 74% in 2003. Cruise UK manager Julian Younger said: “We knew that cruise holidays were increasing in popularity but we didn’t realise that UK ports and the UK economy were benefiting quite so much from the 150,000 overseas passengers who took a cruise from a UK port in 2003.” The findings follow US line Royal Caribbean International announcing plans to base a ship at Southampton in summer 2005 for a series of 14-night sailings. Report by Phil Davies
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