Dover highlights value of cruise to worldwide economies
Monday, October 27, 2008
Cruise tourism is a fast-growing, global business, in need of global thinking and partnership to secure economic value for the industry and to build loyalty among travellers, according to the Port of Dover, which handles a third of the UK’s cruise business.
At the Seatrade Asia Cruise Convention in Shanghai this month (23-25 October), chief executive of the Port of Dover, Bob Goldfield will tell delegates that a “joined-up approach and a warm welcome” is needed worldwide to give passengers a first class experience wherever they travel.
Goldfield, who has been a Special Advisor to the Port of Shanghai Portech Conference for the past three years, will point out that a cruise business adds economic value to the region out of all proportion to its size.
“In Dover alone, where we handle a third of the UK’s cruise business, we estimate that in the coming year, cruising will generate almost £20million spend in the local area, supporting more than 200 jobs directly and indirectly in the port and in local tourism.
“More than 75 per cent of passengers tell us that they want to make excursions when the ship calls into port, so it is vital to build partnerships with local tourist attractions. After all, those passengers are visiting your port because of your culture and heritage – but they will only want to make these forays if they are made aware of what’s on offer – and, of course, each port is competing for their business,” he will tell the conference.
The Port of Dover is the UK’s second busiest cruise port, berthing up to three vessels at any one time. The port is seeing year on year growth: in 2005 it handled 111 ships and 159,000 passengers and in 2009 it forecasts 150 ships and 210,000 passengers. However, despite its size, its cruise business is a small part of Dover’s wider economic significance to the UK, with the value of goods handled by Europe’s business roll-on/roll-off port currently estimated to be in excess of £80billion.
Dover plans to double its capacity with a second ferry terminal, planned to start construction in 2010 and opening in 2014. It is the first UK port to undergo such a major strategic plan, and is set to presage similar projects in Europe and Asia.
“With underlying world trade continuing to grow and the expansion of the leisure trade, ports around the globe will undergo significant increases in business, but only if they think globally and remember the customer has a worldwide choice,” says Goldfield.
Source: Dover Harbour Board - 10 October 2008
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