Strategy to increase cruise passenger footfall in Bantry launched

A new strategy has been launched aimed at trebling the number of cruise liner visit to Bantry, Co Cork to 30 per year over the next five years.

Details of the strategy were unveiled today at a special seminar held at the town's Maritime Hotel, which was attended by a large number of tourist-related business owners.

This year Bantry hosted visits from 10 cruise liners, which brought in more than 8,000 passengers and crew. Next year 14 cruise liners are booked to visit.

Conor Mowlds, chairman of Cruise Ireland, told the seminar, entitled ‘Collectively Growing Cruise Tourism in Bantry’ plans are being worked on to increase cruise passenger footfall in the area to 25,000 per year by 2024.

The Port of Cork previously produced a similar plan to encourage more cruise liner visits to Cobh and surpassed their wildest expectations in a short timeframe. This year more than 100 liners, some of which are the biggest afloat, docked in Cobh.

However, the type of liners which the Port of Bantry wants to attract are of a smaller size.

Bantry Bay Port Company operates as a tender port with no dedicated cruise berth. However this will not impede Bantry from growing.

Both Mr Mowlds and Michael McCarthy, chairman of Cruise Europe, said Bantry can benefit from and the smaller cruise liner market or ‘expedition’ market It is this market that Bantry hopes to capitalise on over the next few years, with the guidance of the Port of Cork.

The expedition market, once a small niche, is now set for dramatic growth with 40 or more ships already on order for the 2023 market.

Both new entrants and established cruise lines, ranging from Celebrity Cruises to Crystal Cruises, Hapag Lloyd, Hurtigruten, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises, have each announced plans for new expedition cruise ships.

This expedition market is all about the experience for passengers on smaller vessels which can easily access remote places that the larger cruise liners cannot, such as Bantry.

"We need to attract the right vessels for passengers to see this beautiful part of the world. We cannot do it alone and that is why we want to collectively grow this business " Brendan Keating, Port of Cork chief executive, said.