By
Sean Dudley |
This article was first published in the Itinerary Planning Special Report 2017. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Given its make-up, Orkney – an archipelago of around 70 islands some ten miles off the northern coast of Scotland – has an inextricable relationship with the sea.
Orkney’s rugged landscape and charming towns are complemented by sites of historical significance; the islands bear the marks of Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes, as well as Norse settlers.
It seems that more and more people are keen to see what Orkney has to offer, with exponential cruise tourism growth in recent times. The islands have seen a 220% increase in cruise passenger numbers over the past five years.
But fear not – Orkney is well-equipped to deal with the swathe of cruise visitors that visit its shores each year. Its capital Kirkwall is served by the nearby Hatston Pier which is only seven minutes’ drive away, and is the longest, deep water commercial berth in Scotland. This acts as Kirkwall’s primary cruise ship berth.
“The key drivers behind the growth that we have witnessed are down to a combination of factors,” says Michael Morrison, business development manager at Orkney’s Harbour Authority. “I think the growing popularity over the last three years of the Around Britain itinerary has certainly contributed. We also extended our commercial berth at Hatston Pier from 225 metres to 385 metres, which obviously helps to bring the largest cruise liners to our shores. Cruise ships have an excellent opportunity to create revenue here because of the number and diversity of the shore excursion itinerary.”
The spectrum of cruise vessels that visit Orkney is diverse. The islands welcome ships from smaller explorer style vessels – which comprise about 45% of its market – to the very large ships that make up the fleets of lines such as MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises.
Once passengers are safely on dry land, the Harbour Authority provides a complimentary shuttle bus service from the berth to Kirkwall town centre, and operates three ‘bendy buses’ – each with a capacity of 135 people.
Visitors to Orkney then have more than 20 diverse itineraries to select from, covering the Heart of Neolithic Orkney world heritage sites, the islands’ wartime history, and Scapa Flow – Europe’s largest natural harbour at 125 square miles. Orkney also has a strong arts and crafts presence and excellent shopping.
“I feel that one offering that really stands out on Orkney is the Neolithic Village of Skara Brae, which is part of the World Heritage Centre, including the Ring of Brodgar,” says Morrison. “Those are certainly two stand out attractions here, with another being the Italian Chapel, which was built during World War II by Italian prisoners of war.”
Orkney is home to the UK’s most northerly cathedral, St Magnus, in Kirkwall. The islands also have a strong tie to the finer things in life, with Orkney being home to the whisky distilleries of Scapa and Highland Park, three gin distilleries, several award-winning breweries and has its own island wine.
Due to its geographical location, Kirkwall is consistently selected as part of a variety of cruise itineraries, including selected Around Britain, North Atlantic, Baltic, Northern European and Scandinavian cruises.
Since official records for cruise ship visitors began in 1992, Orkney has received over 750,000 cruise ship visitors. Interestingly, though the islands’ permanent population is just over 22,000, more than five times that number visit its shores each year as cruise ship passengers. This represents enormous value to the local economy, estimated to be around £8 million each year.
But what might the future represent for the islands? Morrison believes the positives will continue.
“We are conscious of the fact that there are very large ships coming out of the yards in the near future with passenger capacities in excess of 5,000,” he says. “To meet the demands of such vessels, we are continually having to reinvent ourselves, our tourism offering, revisit infrastructure requirements and find the right balance between our day visitors and longer stay tourists. The port of Kirkwall can berth some of the world’s largest cruise ships with ease, but as an island community we have to be cognizant of the overall effects of large numbers of day visitors and how Orkney can present itself in the best possible light in order to encourage repeat and referral tourism business from the cruise lines and passengers.”
Managing success is much more gratifying than managing failure, and sustaining a quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction is right at the top of Orkney's tourism agenda.