Thursday, July 21, 2022 - 13:05 by ce-press
Ireland was finally able to reopen again for cruiseships and passengers - with the arrival of the Viking Venus to Dun Laoghaire Harbour on March 29 - after an absence of two years due to the pandemic.
This followed extensive discussions between the authorities and cruise industry stakeholders that resulted in the development of robust protocols.
The cruise industry is estimated to contribute €70 million to the national economy and on average €14 million a year to local economies, such as Cork, which pre-Covid had typically welcomed an average 100 calls a year.
This year the Port of Cork Company welcomes a return to almost pre-pandemic levels of calls, having about 90 calls scheduled between April and November 2022.
The first call of the year was from Ponant’s Borealis which docked in Cobh - Ireland’s only dedicated cruise berth - on April 15.
There are also also 12 calls scheduled for Bantry this year.
