UK ports celebrate record year for cruise ship traffic
UK cruise ports had their busiest year ever in 2023.
Ports across the nation handled 2,499 cruise ship calls.
That topped the previous record in 2019.
Cruise passenger traffic was over 1.5 million for the first time in 2023.
That is up by a quarter on the previous best in 2018, according to data by Cruise Britain.
“The popularity of cruises into and around Britain shines even more brightly than it did pre-Covid,” said Ian McQuade, Cruise Britain chair.
“Cruise is now an important part of the tourism landscape for many ports and destinations, and we are seeing the rewards for an industry that has consistently worked together to recover.”
It said UK cruise terminals welcomed 53 different cruise lines during 2023.
“Looking ahead to this year, we see the growth trajectory continuing with England’s south coast and Scotland continuing to underpin national cruise growth,” McQuade added.
It comes as the Port of Liverpool is to get a new floating pontoon as part of a £25 million terminal upgrade.
This will double operations and enable the port to handle up to 7,000 passengers a day.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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