Cruise Belfast welcomes 54500

BELFAST WELCOMES 54 500 CRUISE TOURISTS

Today marks the start of the summer influx of cruise tourists to Belfast with 54,500 passengers and crew arriving between now and the end of October. The inaugural visit today to Belfast by "Mein Schiff" is further evidence of the success of the Cruise Belfast marketing initiative which sees Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau (BVCB) and Belfast Harbour working together in attracting international cruise companies to Belfast and Northern Ireland.

"Mein Schiff", carrying nearly 2,000 passengers and 900 crew, is the largest and most luxurious German vessel ever to visit Belfast with 13 lounges and bars, a sushi restaurant and steak house as well as a large spa area, private spa suites and a 2,200msq pool deck.

Its visit will be the first by travel company TUI Cruises to the Port and it is one of 35 cruise ships due to dock here before the end of October.  P&O Cruises’ MV Oriana and NCL’s Norwegian Sun will also be visiting Belfast for the first time this year.

Michael McCormick, BVCB Director of Marketing, says that the fact that new vessels and cruise companies continue to add Belfast to their programmes is significant.

“The initiative between BVCB and Belfast Harbour goes from strength to strength as we succeed in attracting more and more cruise operators to include Belfast as a port of call within their itineraries,” he said.  “As with other industries, tourism is facing tough challenges as a result of the global recession, so it’s rewarding to see that in hosting 35 cruise ships we will welcome around 54,500 passengers and crew who will have the opportunity to explore the city and its environs. It is estimated that this is worth £15m to the tourism economy and the continued growth of the cruise sector will be critical to achieving long term economic growth within the tourism sector. “

Joe O’Neill, Commercial Director at Belfast Harbour, is looking forward to another busy cruise season.

“We realise the value of visiting cruise ships, not only to Belfast but to the wider economy, so it’s imperative that through the Cruise Belfast initiative we build each year on the success of previous seasons. It is always exciting to see ships make their maiden voyage into Belfast, particularly vessels of this calibre, and it is a mark of our success that not only are we bringing in new companies, but we are also seeing a large number of cruise ships making repeat visits to Belfast. We are very pleased to provide a gateway to Belfast and Northern Ireland to the 54,500 tourists who will make a significant financial contribution to the local tourist economy, despite the fact that they will only have a short one day stay in Belfast.”

Other cruise ships due to dock in Belfast this summer include the Crown Princess with 4,400 passengers and crew and the MV Oriana with around 2,800 passengers and crew.

The Cruise Belfast Initiative is a partnership between BVCB and Belfast.Harbour. BVCB is a public/private partnership funded by Belfast City Council, NITB and the private sector and is supported by Diageo NI.