By
Rebecca Gibson |
Over a quarter of a million cruise passengers are set to make day calls at ports in the British Isles by the end of the 2018 season, according to new data from Cruise Britain and analyst firm GP Wild.
According to the report, cruise numbers at British ports have been growing at an average annual rate of 13.5% since 2012, which is much higher than the northern European average of 3.86%. Regional growth is particularly strong at several ports, including Douglas on the Isle of Man, Kirkwall in Orkney, Portland and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Forecasts suggest that 344,000 passengers could be making day calls every year by 2020, with most people visiting multiple ports.
“This strong predicted growth is excellent news for all British ports and service providers and really shows the draw of Britain as a cruise destination,” said James Stangroom, chair of Cruise Britain. "All our members work incredibly hard to attract and support their cruise calls and it’s very encouraging to see our region growing so quickly. Overall, the British Isles offers enormously varied destinations within short sailing distances and the popularity of regional ports is increasing every year. More and more tourists are appreciating that a cruise is an ideal way of exploring the diversity of our shores, cities, attractions and activities.”
Cruise Britain also attributes the growth to the fact that many of the ports in the British Isles are able to accommodate various sized ships and types of cruise calls.
“Britain can offer a port for every cruise ship currently sailing and many can handle both day calls and embarkations which increases the opportunity to grow business,” said Stangroom.