Cruise ship bosses hold 'fantastic' talks with officials in Portsmouth amid push for more visits

Port officials held crucial talks with cruise liner representatives to push Portsmouth as a destination on their calendars.

Tourism leaders from the city and other parts of the south coast got to promote what they had to offer to top figures in the cruise industry. Hosted by Portsmouth International Port and Visit Portsmouth on October 20, shore excursion providers were invited to meet with local attractions, hotels and hospitality businesses.

Discussions involved promoting events to make sure cruise itineraries for holidaymakers are perfect. The port’s head of cruise and ferry, Andrew Williamson, said: “It has been brilliant to see the engagement from our tourism partners on how they can successfully work with cruise lines and shore excursion companies, to keep passenger spend local and curate experiences for guests which are unique to Portsmouth.

“Already, around 50 per cent of guest per cruise call choose to explore at their own leisure, with our shuttle service taking them to sites across the city. By providing Portsmouth focused shore excursions alongside this, we can further enhance the local passenger spend and ensure guests have memorable experiences."

Executives and destination experts from Excursions Ltd, Intercruises, European Cruise Service and Ambassador Cruise Line were all in attendance and represented the range of cruise customers travelling through Portsmouth International Port.

Matthew Agg, head of destination experiences at Ambassador Cruise Line said: "It was a pleasure to be invited to participate in this event, sharing insights and networking with local suppliers to learn more about the fantastic experiences Portsmouth and the wider south coast region can offer our guests.

Sign up for our free newsletters and let the headlines come straight to you

"Working closely with local tourism partners and excursion providers helps us at Ambassador to develop engaging shore excursions that showcase the area’s unique attractions and heritage, creating memorable experiences for our guests."

Next year Portsmouth will welcome tourism calls from Viking Cruises, AIDA, Phoenix Reisen, Holland American Line, Ambassador Cruise Line and others. A host of luxury and expedition vessels will be visiting the city during British Isles and Northern Europe itineraries.

Councillor Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: “Each year the port is estimated to bring in £10.8m in cruise visitor spend. Keeping this spend local is an important part of the port's role in the city, with so many world-class attractions right on our doorstep for visitors to discover.

“Bringing key tourism partners together to meet first hand with the companies who put together these passenger itineraries is a great way of getting the right conversations started to build Portsmouth specific itineraries."