Sunday, June 5, 2016 - 20:22 by ce-press
This year Capital Cruising, part of Forth Ports Limited, will welcome 91 vessels to its Scottish ports - Dundee and Edinburgh including Leith, Rosyth, Dundee and Newhaven/South Queensferry anchorages - compared to 74 in 2015. Meanwhile the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury shows a slight increase from 51 to 53 vessels. This represents an overall increase of 15% year on year. Total passengers numbers will reach about 200,000.
This year sees the season being extended. It began with the arrival of Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ (CMV) Magellan in Dundee on April 3 and closes with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Black Watch, docking in Edinburgh for Hogmanay.
Mike Hall, head of marketing for CMV, said: “We are delighted Magellan is back in Dundee for the second year for an increased programme of sailings. The service at the Dundee port last year was first-class and the new route was highly successful. Not only was the support from the port exceptional, but also the local travel trade and businesses were great at supporting the voyages.”
Rob Mason, head of Cruise Scotland at Capital Cruising, said: “2016 is a very exciting year for the company, as we continue to invest in our ports across the country to ensure visitors receive world-class service and unique access to the fantastic tourist attractions our locations have to offer.”
Steve Lyons, head of cruise at London International Cruise Terminal said: “We work closely with cruiseliners to ensure we deliver tailored experiences for visitors to get an exciting and authentic trip. With more vessel visits at our locations in 2016, we believe it is clear our customer service offerings and capital locations are welcomed by the cruise operators.”
