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Isle of Man flags another record year for cruise

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Ponant’s Le Soleal call to Douglas in April, one of 24 cruise ship visits in 2018
The Isle of Man received its highest number of cruise visits ever in 2018 with 24 cruise ships carrying 8,391 passengers welcomed to the Island, along with 6,026 crew.

There was also a 20% increase from 2017 in cruise passengers participating in an organised shore excursion with 4,493 visitors enjoying the many guided tours, heritage sites, vintage transport, bespoke and artisan activities, along with local produce being sent onboard, as well as local entertainment.

Rob Callister, political member for Visit Isle of Man, thanked the Cruise Isle of Man team, the ‘cruise welcomers’, volunteers and the network of local businesses who have worked hard to ensure that the Isle of Man’s cruise tourism enjoyed another successful year.

‘We have 38 vessels booked in for 2019, with the first cruise ship on April 11 and the final call on October 3, so we are also starting to extend the length of our cruise season. We are expecting 12,189 passengers in total so a significant increase on this year which demonstrates the growing popularity and profile of the Isle of Man within the global cruise industry,’ he remarked.

In addition, 13 cruise ships are already booked for 2020, he added.

Steam Railway a popular draw

The Cruise Isle of Man team developed several new excursions for 2018 but the year’s most popular attraction remained the Steam Railway and the most visited heritage site was Castle Rushen.

Longer term, the prospects for attracting increased cruise business to the Isle of Man were boosted earlier this year when Tynwald supported in principle the creation of a 240mtr long deep water berth in Douglas harbour, costing £11m, as part of the Isle of Man Harbours strategy.