City firms failing to capitalise on arrival of cruises

Businesses in Cork are failing to capitilise on cruise ship passengers because most shops are closed on Sundays.

Port of Cork commercial manager, Captain Michael McCarthy, said it is “staggering” how many businesses are ignoring the 70,000 cruise passengers who visit the city centre every year.

He said they should follow the example of Cruise Dublin’s initiative, by which businesses open on Sundays to capitalise on visiting liners.

“We constantly hear the following sentiment: ‘cruise ships bring nothing to the region’. I have never heard such nonsense in my life. These passengers, in addition to spending money, are often exposed to a region for the first time, and figures from the cruise industry indicate that over 30% return on a land holiday, if they have a good experience,” Capt McCarthy said.

“Where else in the tourism sector is a single vehicle/ship bringing over 3,600 high-spending tourists to a coastal region around Ireland. Last Sunday, the Royal Princess made a return visit to Cobh for the day. It would take 12 jumbo jets landing in Cork Airport,” Capt McCarthy said.

“Irish Rail carried over 30,000 passengers on the Cobh-to-Cork train last year, from the cruise vessels berthed in Cobh.

“Another 30,000-40,000 would have taken a bus tour to the city, via Blarney or Kinsale,” he said.

The cities and regions are the main beneficiaries of cruise calls, with an estimated spend of €15m in the Cork and Munster region alone this year from vessels visiting Cork harbour.

The Port of Cork has invested €1.5m in upgrading facilities at Cobh Cruise Terminal, with the installation of a number of high-load mooring bollards. These will enable even larger ships to berth.

Construction was complete in time for the berthing of the first of 54 vessels which will visit this season.

“This year is the most significant year to date, not in the number of ships, but in their increased passenger-carrying capacity, which is the trend in the industry,” he said.