The Port of Cromarty Firth smashed its previous one-day record by a fifth yesterday as it welcomed thousands of cruise passengers into the Highlands.
More than 6,600 people came ashore at Invergordon as the town – and the rest of the north – welcomed two large liners, the Caribbean Princess, carrying 3,109 passengers, and the MSC Preziosa, carrying 3,493 passengers.
The figure is 20% higher than the previous passenger footfall record, set in April 2016, when three liners visited the Port in one day.
The cruise passengers spread out across the Highlands, visiting a wide range of tourist attractions including Cawdor Castle, Dunrobin Castle, Dornoch, Rogie Falls and Silverbridge, Glenmorangie Distillery, and Inverness, as well as a cruise on the iconic Loch Ness.
It is estimated these passengers boosted the regional economy by around £660,000 in a single day and made up approximately 4.6% of the passengers visiting the Highlands this year through the port.
Captain Iain Dunderdale, Cruise Manager of the Port of Cromarty Firth, said: “It has been fantastic to welcome two the of the world’s largest cruise ships and 6,600 passengers to the Port today. Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of passengers visiting Invergordon and this year we expect around 142,000. With its deep water, the Port of Cromarty Firth is one of only two ports in the Highlands and Islands able to accommodate the very biggest cruise ships.”
Bob Buskie, Chief Executive of the Port of Cromarty Firth, said: “The cruise sector has a crucial role to play in the Cromarty Firth area and across the Highlands, supporting jobs in a wide number of industries, including: tour guides, shipping agents, ground handling staff, transport providers and employees in local distilleries, golf clubs and the hospitality industry.
The trust port is focusing this year on ensuring that even more businesses and organisations in the Highlands benefit from the cruise industry. It has organised workshops and introduced businesses to the ground handlers that organise shore excursions for cruise passengers. As a direct result, new excursion itineraries have been added this year.
Swiss couple Peter Wenger and Elsbeth Hogener were returning to their cruise boat, the MSC Preziosa, after visiting Loch Ness yesterday afternoon.
Mr Wenger, 76, said: “We’ve been around Loch Ness today and it was beautiful, and the weather was really nice. I came up in 1964, too. I was in Bournemouth the year before and met a group of Swiss people and made a wonderful trip up to Scotland the following year.”
