Bookings for 2017 means that this year is already set to break more records for cruise ships in Scotland, writes Anthony Harrington

THE past year was the seventh successive record breaking cruise season for Scottish ports, with some 676 visits by cruise ships, up 35 per cent on 2015. Passenger numbers also increased by 5.3 per cent over the total for 2015, with some 484,000 passengers disembarking. Most spent just a day visiting local attractions and sampling local fare, but the number of cruise ships "over-nighting" at Scottish ports is growing all time.

According to Cruise Scotland, the marketing organisation for Scotland’s cruise industry, 2017 is already established as the eighth record year on the trot. Advance bookings for 2017 will see some 808 ships, including more large vessels, calling at Scottish ports, with more bookings likely. This total is already 19.5 per cent up on 2016, and Cruise Scotland anticipates passenger numbers increasing by at least 35 per cent, to around 656,000. The annual value to the Scottish economy is expected to be greater than £72.5 million.

Commenting on the scale of the advance bookings, Cruise Scotland Chairman, Andrew Hemphill notes that since 2010, which was also the first full year of operation for his organisation, passengers, ship numbers and the overall associated spend in Scottish ports and their immediate hinterland, have more than doubled. "The continuing record numbers demonstrates the increasing popularity of Scotland as a hugely exciting cruise destination," he says.

By the end of 2017, taking the period from 2010 to 2017 inclusive, cruise ship arrivals will have increased 119 per cent, from 342 visits in 2009, to 808 visits pre-booked for 2017. Passenger numbers will have gone from 268,481 to 656,510, up 144 per cent, and more than £400 million would have been added to the Scottish economy.

"The statistics demonstrate that marketing of Scotland as an attractive cruise destination achieves results. We can definitely point to increasing appreciation among cruise operators and passengers of Scotland’s many and varied attractions, which deliver fantastic visitor experiences," he comments.

Everyone involved has to stay mindful that there is tremendous competition among the world’s ports and harbours to become fixtures on cruise ship itineraries. The success to date has been very much a team effort by Cruise Scotland members and support services, he said.

The current record numbers still leave plenty of room for more growth, though port management will have to keep a close eye on matters to see that the quality of the experience offered to visitors does not deteriorate as the numbers climb. Michael Morrison, Business Development Manager with Orkney Islands Council Marine Services, points out that the Council on Orkney already takes care to limit the number of passengers ashore at any one time so that local services are not overwhelmed.

"We have a cap of 4,500 on the number of passengers allowed ashore in a day," he says. "The major limiting factor is the number of buses and the fact that we need to ensure that we don’t have congestion at the major visitor attractions. It is all about protecting the integrity of the visitor experience," he comments.

That approach is working well for Orkney. The island has, on occasion, had five cruise liners in the harbour at the same time. Orkney had 126 port calls in 2016, bringing some 97,000 passengers. Advance bookings for the current year already stand at 145 liners booked, with an anticipated 125,000 passengers. Moreover, the number of cruise liners extending their stay to the following day continues to grow. "Working from the current statistics, by 2018 the number of day visitors from cruise ships will exceed the number of heads-on-beds tourist visitors," he notes.

Across the industry as a whole there is a definite trend towards the big cruise lines introducing ever larger vessels. However, Morrison points out that most of the growth in Orkney’s cruise visits has come from the small to medium sized cruise liner market.

"This is where we are seeing real growth, and we still have plenty of capacity to host more cruise ships. We have four berthing options and two anchorages. From the harbour’s perspective our main constraint is the capacity of our pilot and pilot launch to service things and enable vessels to enter and leave the port in accordance with their preferred sailing times," he says.

According to Cruise Scotland, Scotland’s top cruise port in 2016 in terms of passenger numbers, turned out to be the Port of Cromarty Firth, Invergordon. Some 97,993 passengers went through the port, just pipping Orkney’s Scapa Flow. All in all, passenger spend amounted to nearly £10 million, creating a real boost for the region’s visitor attractions, which range from the Castle of Mey, to the Glenmorangie distillery and the Strathspey Steam Railway.

Bob Buskie, CEO of the Port, points out that this represented a 35 per cent year-on-year growth in the Port’s cruise business. "In 2015 we completed Phase Three of our expansion of the Port, with an investment of £25 million. This gave us nine acres of reclaimed land and an additional 145 metres of quayside with a draft of 13.8 metres. Although this is a mixed use facility that also serves the oil and gas market and the renewables market, it has also given us the ability to berth larger cruise ships," he says.

The next phase of expansion at the port, which will require a similar scale of investment, is already going through the planning stage. "With this 4th Stage, we are looking to add some 405metres of new quay side to give us the ability to berth even the very largest cruise ships.

The trend towards ships capable of accommodating 5,500 to 6,000 passengers is tremendous for the Highland economy and we want to do everything we can to make Scotland and the Highlands a preferred cruise destination," he comments.

Rob Mason, Head of Cruise at Forth Ports, says that they expect to see some 120 cruise ship calls through 2017, which will be a 35 per cent increase on 2016. "We expect to receive about 145,000 passengers and we deal with some 32 cruise operators who include Scottish ports on their itineraries," he says.

To satisfy the growth in demand, Forth Ports is making a further investment in its Newhaven harbour anchorage in the River Forth. "We will be able to handle three tenders simultaneously, ferrying passengers to and from the cruise liners. Being able to accommodate these large cruise line so close to Edinburgh is something we welcome."

Mason says that there is no doubt that demand for cruises will continue to grow. "We have a strong organisation in Cruise Scotland, and one that is committed to developing the cruise offering for cruise passengers that visit Scotland," he concludes.