There is only one more cruise ship is left to visit in December, for what has been a record cruise season for the Port of Cork in Ireland with 100 cruise liners visiting in 2019. The figure exceeded the expectations of the Port and as a result, total more than 243,000 passengers and crew visited the region, with many passengers visiting Cork for the first time.
Port of Cork Chief Executive Brendan Keating said in a statement: “On average, cruise ship passengers spend €81 during their visit to Cork while crew spend approximately €29. Improving and exciting the passengers shore experience will encourage a return visit to the region increasing tourism and boosting the local economy.”
In 2019, Cobh – the port of the city of Cork - was recognized as one of the best cruise destinations in the world, winning in the Top-Rated British Isles & Western Europe Cruise Destination category. Destinations awarded in this year’s awards received the highest ratings among cruisers who cruised to the destination in the past year and shared their experiences on Cruise Critic.
As well as Cobh the Port of Cork also operates Bantry Bay Port Company which saw 10 cruise liners calling to the West Cork area this summer. Bantry Harbour and Glengarriff can accommodate the smaller boutique and expedition style cruise liners whose passengers tend to look for an active cruise. Bantry Bay Port Company has developed a cruise strategy for Bantry in order to grow the business in West Cork. The smaller cruise liner market or expedition market has huge growth potential and it is this market that Bantry hopes to capitalise on over the next few years, with the guidance of the Port of Cork.
