By
Rebecca Gibson |
The number of cruise ships making day visits to Portsmouth International Port, UK, is set to increase by 22% to 18 in 2014.
Various cruise ships will visit the port for the first time in 2014, including Louis Cruises’ 895-passenger Louis Aura and Noble Caledonia’s Serenissima, a small luxury ship with a Swedish country-style interior. Compagnie du Ponant’s mega yacht Le Boréal and Phoenix Reisen’s Amadea are both scheduled to call in early June. Portuscale Cruises’ newly named and refurbished ship Azores – which was operated by Classic International Cruises’ Athena until 2012 – will also make a return to the port.
In addition, the port will host eight cruise ships as part of this year’s D-Day landings anniversary celebrations. During the first week of June, eight cruise ships will arrive or depart from Portsmouth to make the crossing to the Normandy beaches in France. These include Fred. Olsen’s Braemar, a new visitor to the Port, and Cruise & Maritime’s Marco Polo. Swan Hellenic will also be starting and ending its D-Day cruise in Portsmouth.
“Just three years ago we had six tourist calls and now we have 18,” said Captain Rupert Taylor, harbour master at Portsmouth. “Each liner loaded with tourists means a boost for the local economy, starting with jobs at the port. As passengers make their way through our award-winning terminal, others feel the benefit too. Taxi and transport companies, tourist attractions, restaurants and shops can all take advantage of this rise in visitors.”
Portsmouth, known as the ‘Waterside City’, offers a range of attractions for visiting cruise passengers, including the recently opened Mary Rose Museum and HMS Victory and HMS Warrior in the Historic Dockyard. The city is also located fifty miles from Stonehenge & Avebury Unesco world heritage site and 90 minutes from the UK’s capital city London.