By
Sean Dudley |
A record number of cruise ships are set to visit Belfast in 2017.
88 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in the Northern Irish capital this year, bringing more than 150,000 passengers to the city.
The year’s first arrival, the Marco Polo, is set to visit Belfast on 21 April. Princess Cruises meanwhile has strengthened its commitment to the city by scheduling no fewer than 14 visits to Belfast in 2017.
The busiest month of the year for Belfast will be August, when 24 calls are scheduled, including nine in a single week.
This year will also see the 600th cruise ship visit Belfast since its first arrival back in 1996.
“To welcome 88 ships this year is a tremendous endorsement of the great strides which Northern Ireland has made in recent years,” said Joe O’Neill, Belfast Harbour’s commercial director. “When we started pitching Belfast to cruise operators in the mid-1990s there was some scepticism about what could be achieved. This year, we’re welcoming a record number of visitors and vessels, including the 100th visit of a Princess Cruise ship, one of the best-regarded operators in the sector.”
Belfast has enjoyed a period of tourism growth in the city of late, and Belfast Harbour is currently the second busiest port of call in Ireland.
“News of a record number of cruise ships is a further show of confidence in our ability to entice visitors to Belfast from across the globe,” said Brian Kingston, Belfast’s Lord Mayor. “This will provide many opportunities to showcase our great city, which continues to make a big name for itself for its warmth, its hospitality and the many places to visit. Of course, best of all is the significant boost to the local economy.”