Cruise Ships Are Back
The cruise ships will be sailing back to Fishguard soon, starting with the Hurtigruten Spitzbergen on 6 April.
2022 saw 23 ships with 8,500 passengers being welcomed into Fishguard.
Wales-wide there are hopes for around 80,000 more cruise ship visitors in 2023, all potentially spending money and contributing to the Welsh economy.
Other ports set to see visitors include Holyhead which plans to welcome the Viking Venus in April and the MS Queen Victoria afterward.
Welsh Government investment in infrastructure, which includes the award of £147,000 through the Tourism Investment Support Scheme to create the pontoon and landing area in Fishguard, has meant larger cruise ships docking, since 2017.
Cruise Wales – a partnership between the Welsh Government, cruise ports, destinations and outside stakeholders – is set to attend the Seatrade Global conference and exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the end of March. It is hoped that this event will further support the industry to attract more visitors. The economy could benefit from the increase in tourism to the tune of £8.2 million.
