By
Rebecca Gibson |
CruiseBritain predicts a three per cent increase in the number of cruise ship departures from Britain, with 868 cruises currently scheduled to depart from 19 of the country’s ports in 2013.
‘Round Britain’ cruises are also expected to rise by 12 per cent to 120 departures and show a projected growth of nearly 70 per cent since 2010. These itineraries include visits to a range of British and Irish ports, including Falmouth, Guernsey, Tyne, Isles of Scilly, Kirkwall, Liverpool, Milford Haven and Bristol – which is the newest CruiseBritain member and has welcomed turnaround calls for the first time in 20 years.
“The continued strong growth in British cruises is testament to the diversity of destinations around our island; cruise ships of all sizes can visit a selection of ports within short sailing distances and cruise lines can be confident that passenger expectations will be met,” said Kate O’Hara, chair of CruiseBritain.
“As well as the rise in Round Britain cruises, the growth in departure numbers is encouraging, especially as it involves some ports such as Bristol, which have not welcomed cruise ships for 20 years,” added O’Hara. “The profile of Britain as a cruise destination is definitely increasing and we welcome all port initiatives to increase traffic.”