By
Rebecca Gibson |
The 2012 summer season for Forth Ports has been an extremely busy one, with the Ports of Leith, Rosyth and Dundee each welcoming a wide range of cruise ships from April to September.
Nik Scott-Gray, Forth Ports business development manager says: “Volumes have continued to be high for the 2012 season and are generally on a par with our 2011 figures, which is hugely encouraging considering the challenging economic backdrop in which we’re working. We’ve seen an impressive 76 cruise liners call on the Forth and the Tay, allowing us to welcome around 90,000 cruise passengers to the local areas.”
The Port of Leith has been particularly busy, with 36 calls in a bumper season that was launched when the ultra-luxury Seabourn Sojourn called in May. High-end luxury liners such as Azamara Journey, Silver Cloud and Silver Whisper, have also visited, while Thomson Spirit was valuable return business in 2012. New to Leith, Oceania Cruises’ Nautica in her first call, while Cruise and Maritimes’ Marco Polo made six turnaround calls at Leith, significantly increasing passenger footfall into the city of Edinburgh.
Scott-Gray says: “The Port of Leith is the gateway to Edinburgh for the ever popular cruise business, offering easy access to one of the most famous cities in the world and bringing significant economic benefit to this region. We’re delighted with the levels we’ve achieved this year.”
Outside the capital, the Port of Rosyth has also seen busy cruise traffic from cruise liners including Ocean Princess, Le Diamant, Crystal Symphony and Holland Americas’ Prinsendam. Fred Olsen’s Boudicca made a total of five turnaround calls this summer. “The Boudicca, using Rosyth as a turnround base, continues to go from strength to strength and we’re delighted to have seen the vessel five times this season, each time with around 850 passengers boarding and leaving the ship,” Scott-Gray says.
In addition to offering berthing facilities, the importance of marketing and maximising the passenger experience continues to be crucial. Engagement and collaboration with the local business community is of great importance to Forth Ports.
Scott-Gray concludes: “We’ve been working with Forth Bridges Tourist Group (FBTG), supporting them in their work to enhance the visitor experience. We’ve updated our cruise terminals, refreshing the graphics and installing wifi, and they have provided greeters to actively welcome passengers into the port. FBTG has demonstrated an innovative approach, such as offering passengers whisky tasting from the local Spencerfield distillery, which we believe adds to the welcome experience and we’re very willing to explore other relevant opportunities with both the them and local businesses.”