Forth Ports, which owns the International Cruise Terminals in London (Tilbury) and two facilities on the Forth (Edinburgh), says it has closed the 2012 cruise season on a high and is looking forward to a bumper 2013.
The London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury has seen 35 home port calls in 2011/2012, from Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Holland America and Noble Caledonia; and three tourist calls welcoming passengers from the UK, Spain, US, South America, Russia and Japan. The port also saw ten days of C&MV promotional events, including a number of overnight ‘cruise’ experiences. This activity has led to a footfall of close to 50,000 guests through the London International Cruise Terminal.
Tilbury provides easy access to all major airports and passengers can travel with ease to all the sites the city of London has to offer by high speed river-bus, road or rail.
The ports in Edinburgh and Rosyth have also had an extremely busy 2012 season, welcoming a wide range of cruise ships across the season. The Scottish ports have seen an impressive 76 cruise liners calling at the ports, allowing the teams to welcome around 80,000 passengers to visit the local areas. The Port of Leith in Edinburgh has been particularly busy, receiving calls from high-end luxury liners such as Seabourn Soujourn, the Azamara Journey, Silver Cloud and Silver Whisper.
Edinburgh holds fantastic potential as a home port in Scotland’s capital city, with all the culture and activities that it offers. Bookings for 2013 and 2014 are already strong with 68 vessels confirmed for the Scottish Ports and 40 in 2013 and 30 confirmed October 2014 for the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury.