WASHINGTON: More cruise ships will dock at the Port of Tyne than ever before this year, it has been accounced. The Port celebrated an all-time high of 44 cruise ship visits in 2016, but already 50 calls at the North Shields ferry terminal have been booked for 2017. The increase in cruise business – which adds an estimated £60m and creates around 1,700 tourism jobs for the North East economy – includes new operators and destinations.
Nolan Gray, Port of Tyne’s business development director, said: “With more choice of destinations than ever before, people are saving time and money by choosing to cruise from the Tyne. And our passengers arriving in Port can explore North East England’s world-class visitor attractions all within an hour transit time from the terminal.”
The Port of Tyne expects to handle 19 transit cruises bringing tourists in to the North East and more than 30 turnarounds sailing away to destinations that include Andalusia, Barcelona, the German waterways, St. Petersburg, the Baltics and around Britain and Ireland. Cruise operators returning to the Tyne include Fred Olson, Aida and Disney, with new companies docking in the region being Norwegian Cruise Lines and TUI.
