26 April 2023
This week (Monday 24 April), Portsmouth was the final call for over 600 passengers on Phoenix Reisen Amera’s 125-night world cruise, after it departed Nice, France in December 2022 for an international sailing.
The Historic Dockyard, D-Day Museum, Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays were the chosen attractions for passengers who were keen to explore the city. On hand to greet them were city ambassadors who speak a variety of languages to introduce visitors to the city’s sights. The ambassadors are part of Shaping Portsmouth, an organisation aiming to help Portsmouth’s economy thrive.
Portsmouth International Port is welcoming a record number of calls this year, with Saga, Oceania, Hapag-Lloyd, TUI, AIDA, Viking, Ambassador, Seabourn and Noble Caledonia all either visiting the city or starting their journey. This buoyancy in the market follows national figures released by Cruise Britain, which show the cruise sector’s post-Covid ‘year of transition’ was a success for ports and service providers around the UK and provided the strongest possible position for a projected record season in 2023.
Portsmouth’s attraction as a port of call is that passengers spend their time in the city, with figures from Cruise Britain showing each passenger is worth an average of £70 to the local economy every time they step ashore.
Andrew Williamson, Portsmouth International Port passenger operations manager said: “We were delighted to be included on the international itinerary for Phoenix Reisen, where Portsmouth was featured alongside Sydney, Panama and Miami as a world cruise destination.
“Visitors are welcomed by our Shaping Portsmouth ambassadors, who provide great insider knowledge and can speak a variety of languages to help passengers make the most of their visit.
“With a record breaking year already underway, news from the industry that cruise nationally is bouncing back , and our brand new terminal extension due to open this summer, we’re hugely optimistic for the future.”