Expanding Portsmouth cruise industry booms as thousands more passengers visit city - details revealed

Portsmouth’s visitor sector, which supports 12,589 jobs, was highlighted as vital for the economy during English Tourism Week (March 14-23). Visitors from cruise ships have grown by 115 per cent since 2019, with a new associated guide being launched.

Speaking at the event at Portsmouth International Port on Monday (March 17), head of cruise and ferry Andrew Williamson said it was fantastic that so many people chose to stay in the city to boost its tourism sector. He added: “We’ve got some amazing attractions in the city, so it makes Portsmouth a popular destination for cruise lines.

“We wouldn’t be doing all of this if it wasn’t for our passengers, and the feedback we’ve been getting on our social media has been phenomenal. The welcome in the city makes our cruise guests want to come back, and the cruise lines believe this as well.”

A total of 29,480 passengers visited the city via cruise ships in 2024, with 89 calls - 49 of them transit - being made. Out of the 18,295 tourists, 5.586 took part in an organised shore excursion around Portsmouth, while 12,709 explored the city on their own. Despite holidaymakers having the opportunity to visit London, Stonehenge and other British landmarks during their excursion, 69 per cent of them choose to stay in the city.

To keep encouraging more tourists to stay local, Shaping Portsmouth launched the Cruise Passenger Programme to support people making trips to Portsmouth for the first time - volunteers working 2,351 hours to offers tourists the best experience during their stay. Jane Singh, from Visit Portsmouth, said: “There is a real opportunity to get them touring the city and seeing all the wealth of attractions we have.”

Portsmouth port will see a record number of cruise ships dock this year, where people can step on board and tour destinations around Europe and elsewhere. Mr Williamson said: “Portsmouth’s location on the south coast is a gateway to main shipping channels and, paired with direct motorway access, makes us the ideal port for guests to set sail for destinations as far as the Caribbean and beyond.

“Our regular cruise customers (Saga, Fred Olsen, Virgin Voyages) run itineraries across Europe, while ferry services from Brittany Ferries and DFDS offer a direct route to northern France, Spain and the Channel Islands. The increase in cruise and ferry customers also directly benefits local tourism, with passengers spending money in the city pre and post stay. Transit calls, where Portsmouth is a stop off destination on cruise itineraries, bring substantial spending to the city as guests choose to stay local and visit the many brilliant attractions directly on our doorstep.”