Irish ports will have their busiest ever cruise ship season in 2017 with over 300 vessels scheduled to visit ports and harbours around the country, writes John Daly.

Tourism ambassadors have, for the first time, begun selling Cork city’s visitor attractions to passengers on board the luxury cruise ships calling to the Port of Cork in a bid to capture a slice of an estimated €12m market.

The first cruise ship of the season will arrive in Cork tomorrow, with a further 64 ships, containing 160,000 passengers and crew, set to follow in her wake.

The ports of Cork and Bantry handled nearly a million more tonnes of cargo last year than in 2014.

Traders in Cork City are losing out on millions of euro of business by not tapping into the lucrative luxury cruise passenger market which arrives on their doorsteps every year.

A network of water trails has been developed off the south coast to boost marine leisure activity.

The Port of Cork increased its profits by almost 30% last year, according to new figures released yesterday.