- 92 ships visiting in 2018
- More than 157,000 passengers and 69,000 crew hosted
- Estimated boost to economy of €12m
The Port of Cork is looking to further develop its cruise ship facilities after what it called its “most significant cruise season ever”.
With one more cruise ship left to visit in December, 92 ships in all will have called this year.
Brendan Keating, Port of Cork Chief Executive, said: ‘Even though our cruise business has grown 30pc in the last year, the biggest beneficiary is the region with up to €12m injected into the local economy over the summer cruise season. This is a significant boost which we are delighted to facilitate. In 2019 we anticipate over 100 cruise calls to Cork and realistically this is how we expect the cruise business pace to continue.”
In October, the port visited all the major cruise lines calling to Cork and said the feedback from the companies “was very positive in terms of their passenger experiences when visiting Cork”.
5th class pupils Liam O’Neill, Ethan Agrito and Callum Ring from Glasheen Boys National School in Cork city pictured on board the Royal Caribbean cruise liner Independence of the Seas berthed in Cobh, Summer 2018.
Currently all cruise operations are handled in Cobh, Ireland’s only dedicated cruise berth, however the port of Cork is now keen to explore the option of a second cruise berth in Cobh.
It has launched an ‘Expressions of Interest’ to the market inviting submissions from potential interested parties to develop and/or operate a new cruise berth at Lynch’s Quay.
Conor Mowlds, Port of Cork Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We will see if there is an appetite in the market to develop a new cruise berth in Cobh. From the port’s perspective, we know this business is growing and we want to have every possible option ready to capitalise on this business.”
Further information on the ‘Expression of Interest’ can be found at https://www.portofcork.ie/index.cfm/page/cruise_facilities
Latest posts by TravelExtra (see all)
- TRAVEL Extra Remains Open for Business - April 26, 2020
- Irish Travel Agents Association announce upcoming events for Autumn 2020 - April 21, 2020
- Updated return to cruise dates - April 17, 2020
- Future of Aviation - April 15, 2020
- Travel Extra May 2020: Surviving the crisis - April 8, 2020
