1 9 1 Edinburgh is keen to take a sustainable approach when welcoming cruise visitors back to its port and tourist attractions, according to Rob Dixon, director of industry and destination development at Visit Scotland. Speaking ahead of Cruise Europe’s sustainability panel session, he said: “We have to take a responsible and place-based approach to cruising. Please come here – stay longer, perhaps do less but experience more.” Cruise guests can easily fill a short or longer stay in Edinburgh with an impeccably high standard of tour options that are easily grouped into compelling shore excursions. A regal tour of Edinburgh might encompass The Royal Mile, Royal Botanical Garden and the Royal Yacht Britannia, while a historical tour could include Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and Grassmarket. For art lovers, the Scottish National Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and Scottish National Portrait Gallery combine to form a harmonious trio. Every tour combination has a choice of complementary options to provide passengers with themed refreshments and a chance to hunt for souvenirs. And the city’s countless Instagrammable locations will enable guests to capture fond memories and ensure stories of their visit are widely shared. “This is Scotland’s year of stories,” said Mason. “Stories are vital to every part of Scotland – we have a rich history and many stories to tell. The tales the conference delegates heard and the experiences we shared certainly charmed a host of new Edinburgh fans. Forever Edinburgh new-to-cruise market, changes driven by sustainability, and leveraging global homeport sourcing. During other discussions, the Cruise Europe association lamented the plight of its Baltic port colleagues and cruise lines expressed that they continue to closely monitor related operational hurdles. “We can’t lose sight of the reduced interest in Baltic cruises at the moment,” said Chris Coates, ambassador-at-large for Ambassador Cruise Line. Morgan agreed, saying: “The uncertainty is around demand. We still have two ships in the Baltic and demand is strong. Demand for 2023 is mixed – we’re still making decisions for 2024 and demand for 2023 will influence those decisions.” However, Carnival UK’s vice president of port and shore operations Sander Groothuis was more certain. “There’s no hesitation for us to keep going to the Baltic.” Economy-fuelled issues are unsurprisingly influencing itineraries. Groothuis noted that Carnival UK is “trying to optimise our turnaround time so we can leave sooner and cruise slower.” Meanwhile, Morgan asked: “Are we operating the itinerary in the most efficient way?” Current energy prices are adding weight to the demand for the provision of shore power in port and Groothuis offered a clear prediction for its future use. “Shore power is not something that we will have a choice about. In the future all ports will need to offer it.” The second panel discussion addressed strategic planning and the importance of avoiding shoreside disruption. Agnes Brochet, director of itinerary planning and strategic pricing at Silversea Cruises, kicked the session off, noting a canny feature of a well-presented shore excursion: “At Silversea we’re quite good at capturing the anticipation.” Prioritising the passenger experience from the point of booking steers most shore excursion decisions. Melanie Lewis Carsjens, senior manager of shore excursions product development and operations at Holland America Group, sets a high bar from the outset. “First impressions are very important,” she said. “I think it’s important that ports take passengers on a journey from disembarkation to embarkation. For our new-to-cruise guests it’s all about first impressions.” Sandra Neffgen, head of shore excursions at AIDA Cruises, highlighted a treasured example of ports that give Despite taking lessons on HMS Britannia, CFR’s Jon Ingleton (left) was only able to get a peep out of the bagpipes at the Cruise Europe event
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