Passengers come cruising in ready to splash £24 million

MORE than 100,000 high-spending cruise liner passengers a year are expected to visit the Capital by 2015.

In this year's cruise liner season, which runs from April to October, Forth Ports is expecting 53,000 passengers to come to Edinburgh, compared with 32,000 last year.

And the economic benefit to Edinburgh of this year's passengers is expected to be more than £12.65 million.

But Forth Ports has announced it expects to nearly double the number of cruise passengers it attracts in the next eight years, with growth forecast at ten per cent a year.

It means that by 2015 the tourism sector would be worth more than £24m to the city.

City tourism leaders say that the figures show the Capital will be established as "a major destination stop on the itinerary of world cruise liners". Lucy Parsons, project manager at Forth Ports, said: "The industry is very healthy at the moment and we are confident we can achieve ten per cent growth a year for the next ten years.

"It is a relatively small number of people but they do tend to spend more than your average visitor."

This year's passengers are expected to arrive on at least 58 liners, including vessels such as the QE2 and the Constellation.

While Leith Harbour can take relatively small vessels, larger ones drop anchor at Hound Point in the shadow of the Forth bridges or at Rosyth.

Ms Parsons said Leith is recognised as one of the best cruise facilities in Europe and is attractive to passengers and crew.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, the city's deputy leader, said: "It is fantastic that this type of expansion is expected. Whatever can be done to establish Edinburgh as a major stop for world cruises is great for the city.

"Edinburgh can be a major destination stop on the itinerary of world cruise liners."

There are also plans to open Scotland's first fully-fledged cruise liner terminal on the outskirts of the current docklands.

Ben Carter, VisitScotland's area director for Edinburgh, said: "The 53,000 cruise passengers will contribute to the industry's ambition to grow Scotland's tourism revenues by 50 per cent by 2015."

CHANCE TO HOP ON BOARD CRUISE LINER BUSINESS
TOURISM and business groups were to hear today how they can take part in the Capital's booming cruise liner industry.

Forth Ports was set to attend a conference of the city's tourism industry, organised by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group at Murrayfield Stadium.

The company's project manager, Lucy Parsons, was to hold a workshop where firms would be urged to try to capture the spending power of cruise liner passengers.

Other workshop themes at the conference, entitled Edinburgh the International Destination, were to include a presentation on investing in the city centre and the growth of business tourism.

Edinburgh Airport owner BAA was also due to detail new routes and the expansion of the airport, while Festivals Edinburgh's Faith Liddell was to discuss opportunities for businesses at the festivals.

Among the organisations set to host information stands were Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, and VisitScotland.