Cruise Belfast has confirmed details of its 2018 cruise schedule, heralding another record cruise season for Belfast and Northern Ireland with 117 ships expected to dock in Belfast Harbour, bringing more than 200,000 visitors to Northern Ireland.
25% more ships are booked to arrive in Belfast Harbour compared to last year including, eight new Cruise Lines which have added Belfast to their itineraries, joining the cruise industry’s leading operators Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Cunard. The City is also becoming increasingly popular with ‘Exploration and Adventure’ ships which operate at the luxury end of the market.
More than half of the ships calling will each bring over 1,000 visitors to Belfast with the largest ship, the 330m long Royal Princess, bringing more than 61,000 passengers to the City during her 12 calls. August will be the busiest month with 26 cruise calls bringing over 40,000 passengers and crew.
Among the new lines calling is Swiss-based Viking Line which has recently diversified into ocean going cruising having previously concentrated on the popular European river cruise market. Viking Line has scheduled four calls to Belfast in 2018 bringing almost 6,000 visitors in total. Other first time callers include ‘mega-yacht’ operator Variety Cruises, who are scheduled to call ten times this summer.
The length of Belfast’s cruise season has also extended with the first call due in mid-March and the last call in mid-October. For the first time it’s expected that passenger and crew numbers to Belfast will break the 200,000 mark, up almost 50,000 in a year.
Tony McAuley from Belfast Harbour said:
“Continued partnership with Visit Belfast on the Cruise Belfast initiative continues to bear fruit. Belfast’s popularity as a cruise destination continues to grow and this is evidenced by the record numbers of passengers and ships due to call this year.
“It’s particularly encouraging that the profile of the cruise lines choosing to come to Belfast continues to diversify, including boutique vessels as well as large operators such as Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and TUI continuing to schedule Belfast. This year Belfast will play host to an unprecedented 117 ship visits which is testament to the work of all involved in developing the sector.”
Mary Jo McCanny, Director of Visitor Services, Visit Belfast added:
“Belfast’s profile as a travel destination couldn’t be better with recent accolades from National Geographic Traveller and Lonely Planet. The cruise market is one of the most competitive so we work hard with Belfast Harbour to ensure we deliver on our sales and marketing promise, by delivering a first-class welcome and visitor service when each cruise passenger or crew member comes ashore in Belfast.
“This year we will have the opportunity to welcome a record 200,000 cruise visitors, demonstrating just how far the region has come and a testimony to the world-class visitor attractions and experiences Belfast and Northern Ireland now have to offer the cruise visitor.”
By the end of the season Belfast Harbour will have welcomed over 700 ships and 1.2 million cruise visitors since the first cruise ships visited the Port in 1996.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Cruise Belfast
Set up in 1999, Cruise Belfast is a marketing and visitor servicing partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast to attract cruise visitors to Belfast and Northern Ireland.
In the last decade, the number of cruise visitors to Belfast has quadrupled.
About Belfast Harbour
Belfast Harbour is a trading company created by statute. It is required to behave commercially and is 100% self-funded. Its task is to operate, maintain and develop Belfast Harbour assets for the benefit of port customers, other stakeholders and consequently the wider economy. As a Trust Port, all profits are retained and re-invested within the business.
The Harbour’s business focus is upon delivering best-in-class infrastructure, built assets and services to support:
1. Exporters and importers as Northern Ireland’s primary gateway to the world and its primary logistics hub
2. Ferry and Cruise ship operators
3. Companies providing services to shippers and cargo owners
4. Estate tenants, both current and prospective
Over 30% of Northern Ireland’s Gross Domestic Product is supported by Harbour activities (source: Centre for Economics & Business Research).
About Visit Belfast
Visit Belfast is a public/private sector partnership funded and supported by Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland and the private sector. It is the official tourism marketing agency for the Belfast City Region, dedicated to promoting Belfast as a city break, conference and cruise ship destination. It is also responsible for the operation of three gateway visitor information centres.
Visit Belfast represents more than 500 tourism businesses and services across the industry including accommodation providers, attractions, conference venues and services, tour operators, transport providers, entertainment venues, restaurants and cafes, pubs and clubs and event organisers.