Tourism cruises to new boost (From Western Telegraph)

Tourism cruises to new boost

A drive to attract cruise companies to Pembrokeshire is starting to yield results, with four cruise ships visiting the county in the coming year.

Two of the ships will berth alongside Pembroke Port while the other two will anchor just off Milford Docks, with passengers coming ashore by tender.

The ships will carry between 100 and 400 passengers who will take part in a range of activities while in the county, from visiting St Davids Cathedral to going on 'soft adventure' outings.

The visits are thanks to the Milford Haven Port Authority (MHPA), which has been working for several years to promote the county as a cruise destination.

The profile of the waterway received a boost in the summer with the arrival of Sea Cloud II, a specially chartered cruise ship taking American tourists on a golf tour of the UK.

Ted Sangster, MHPA general manager, said: "My reading of the industry is that once companies realise their competitors are using your ports there is an opportunity to gain business from them as well."

While the majority of passengers will be taken to established tourist attractions such as Pembroke Castle, Solva, the National Botanic Gardens and the Bosherston Lily Ponds, the crew are likely to spend time in Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven themselves. Mr Sangster is confident the regeneration of both towns' docks will provide a 'reasonably attractive welcome'.

The first and smallest ship, Polar Star, will arrive at Pembroke Dock with its 100 passengers on May 3rd.

On May 15th, Discovery will arrive with 400 passengers at Milford Docks. June 5th will see Black Prince arrive at Pembroke Dock with 400 passengers taking part in a tour of the UK's gardens.

Finally, the 400 passengers on Astor will arrive at Milford Docks on August 23rd, rounding off Pembrokeshire's first year as a cruise ship attraction. The MHPA have joined forces with the British and Welsh tourist boards to form Cruise UK, which aims to market the UK as an entire package to cruise companies.

Mr Sangster said: "I'm very pleased with the interest in Wales and the UK as a whole. Hopefully that will lead on to further interest in Pembrokeshire as a cruise destination."