By
Rebecca Gibson |
Scotland is to welcome 8% more cruise passengers than in 2014, according to marketing association Cruise Scotland.
In 2014, the cruise industry generated around £49 million and the ports handled 457 vessels and 401,325 passengers, helping several of Cruise Scotland’s 15 member ports to break their own records.
This year, the association’s 15 member ports will welcome around the same number of calls from 37 operators, but several of the ships will be larger, which will help to increase total passenger numbers to an estimated 434,530.
Greenock Ocean Terminal will also become the first Scottish port to welcome more than 100,000 passengers in 2015.
“The combination of the multitude of Scotland’s attractions and the quality of facilities and services, supported by our marketing efforts, are delivering results and making a major contribution to the Scottish economy, as last year’s records and this season’s positive outlook demonstrate,” said Victor Sandison, chairman of Cruise Scotland.
Scotland’s newly extended cruise season will run from early March and close with a call from Fred. Olsen Lines’ Black Watch at Greenock on 15 December.
Highlights of Scotland’s 2015 cruise season will include a maiden call from Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 at Oban, and the first-ever UK call from Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic, which will visit Kirkwall in Orkney in July. In addition, Black Watch will offer the first direct sailing from Scotland to the Caribbean after departing from Greenock in November on a 32-day roundtrip.