Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 14:39 by aberdeen
The 2023 cruise season is well underway at Port of Aberdeen, which will welcome a wide range of new cruise vessels to the city, boosting the regional economy by more than £4.2 million.
With more than 40 calls scheduled from May and October*, and up to 34,000 tourists visiting the North East of Scotland, the benefit to local businesses this year and beyond could be significant with cruise calls to Scotland generating an average spend of £134 per passenger per call (source: Cruise Scotland).
The first cruise call to the new £400 million Aberdeen South Harbour was the eye-catching, 203m long AIDAaura on 2 May and has been followed by the NG Resolution, the Ocean Endeavour and the MS Amera amongst others.
To support the growth in cruise Port of Aberdeen has been working with partners including leading tourism agency VisitAberdeenshire, Aberdeen Inspired, Visit Scotland and the local authorities to position Aberdeen City and Shire as a prime tourist destination. Aberdeenshire was recently named by Good Housekeeping as best place to visit in 2023.
Bob Sanguinetti, Chief Executive, Port of Aberdeen, said: “We are delighted to welcome a host of new cruise ships to Port of Aberdeen in the maiden year of South Harbour.
“Our investment in South Harbour will allow us to handle much larger cruise ships than preceding years and we expect to see year-on-year increases in the number of cruise calls. It's encouraging to see that major international cruise lines are already booking their larger ships for calls to Aberdeen in 2024 and beyond.”
Port of Aberdeen has a proven track record welcoming boutique and expedition cruise ships to North Harbour, and now extends this expertise at the transformational South Harbour.
The new deepwater harbour significantly increases the port’s capacity for cruise calls and will be able to accommodate cruise ships over 250m in length.
Port of Aberdeen is a gateway to the stunning scenery, rich cultural heritage, and impressive architecture of North East Scotland. We look forward to welcoming more cruise lines and tens of thousands more passengers to experience this incredible region every year.
Chris Foy, Chief Executive, VisitAberdeenshire, said: “The opening of the South Harbour to cruise ships in 2023 is a timely boost to the tourism and hospitality sector in the North-east. Disembarking passengers - who will be met by our Welcome to Aberdeenshire volunteers – will have a wealth of experiences to enjoy during their time on our shores, planting the seed for future travel back to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for a longer stay.
