Guernsey Press

Island readies for busiest season in cruise liner visits

VISIT Guernsey has its sights set on future growth as 2015 looks like its busiest year ever for cruise ships.

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New arrangements are in place at the Albert Pier to welcome the season's first visitors this week.

Tomorrow (tues 31) will see the Marco Polo arrive with nearly 1,000 passengers, followed on Wednesday by close to 2,000 on the Oriana.

Around 120 cruise ship visits are scheduled for this year, a third more than in 2014.

There could be as many as 130,000 passengers coming ashore between now and September, nearly 25% higher than last year.

Public Services deputy minister Darren Duquemin said VisitGuernsey had worked hard over the last 10 years encouraging cruise operators to come here.

Cunard's new flagship vessel Britannia is set to stop off six times. The 4,372-passenger ship, launched by the Queen this month, will first arrive on Sunday 24 May.

Its subsequent visit, on Friday 14 August, is set to be the busiest day of the season, coinciding with the Royal Princess bringing 3,600 passengers.

The largest vessel to visit is Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, which can carry more than 4,900 passengers and is due on Thursday 18 June.

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