The cruise ship sector helped deliver a £15m boost to the Highland economy last year – and many in the north-east will be hoping it’s their turn for a slice of that.
The docking of the 663ft AIDAaura this morning at Aberdeen’s newly-expanded harbour signalled the beginning of a new era in the city.
There will be 39 ships arriving in the Granite City between May and October this year, bringing an estimated 31,000 guests.
But that is still just a fraction of the number that arrived in Invergordon in 2022.
The Easter Ross town is a seasoned veteran when it comes to the cruise ship scene.
And if people living around Aberdeen’s harbour want an idea of what to expect, long-time residents of Invergordon may have the answers.
What effect has cruise ship tourism had on Invergordon?
The first thing to say is that there’s a reason when we talk about an economic boost it’s talked about across the Highlands.
And not just for Invergordon or even Easter Ross.
That’s because so many of the tourists getting off of a cruise ship want to see as much as they can in the short time they have.
It’s difficult for Invergordon High Street to compete when tourists can be on the shores of Loch Ness within the hour.
Inverness is only 25 miles south and if you have enough time and desire, Skye is a five-hour round-trip.
David Richardson, Highlands and Islands development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, said that’s to be expected with this type of tourist trade.
He said: “Businesses would much rather they come in than they didn’t.
“Yes, it brings business. And that’s very good. But most people, they’re on holiday, arrive in a port and they’re whisked off to look at Loch Ness or Dunrobin Castle.
“It’s only those that decide not to go on those trips that are going into Invergordon itself.”
That experience is one that seems to have been shared by many in the town.
The positive outweighs the negative
Duncan Maclean, who runs Invergordon Bus Tours, agrees.
But he thinks there are opportunities for people to improve the town’s fortunes.
“We have had decades of cruise ship visits,” Duncan said. “We’ve become Scotland’s most visited mainland cruise port.
“But you wouldn’t know it, looking at the town. Even if the town was absolutely the best it could be, no port town has everyone arriving on a cruise ship staying there.
“Many are joining a cruise because it has a particular place they want to go. But the way I’d describe Invergordon is that there’s not an awful of entrepreneurship.
“We don’t even have a proper coffee shop and it’s nuts because a good independent place here could make a fortune.”
Archie Maiden, who owns Sweets and Treats in Invergordon High Street, said he’d like to see the cruise tourists given a warmer welcome.
He witnessed more people coming into Invergordon from the ships before the pandemic began. But nowadays, more and more tours are taking them somewhere else.
“We still do see an influx of people,” he said. “The rewards outweigh the downside when the cruise ships are here.
“They spend money, they’re nice people. I just wish the community encouraged them a little bit more.
“Maybe people aren’t making as much money as they were beforehand. We’re a little bit hostile and I’d like us to be a bit more open arms.”
Cruise ship tourism in the north-east
The number of visitors to the Port of Cromarty Firth is expected to grow this year as the world continues to crawl back towards normality.
There were 166,000 tourists arriving there in 2019 and the smart money is on 2023’s figure being in that region.
If Easter Ross’s experience is anything to go by, the area around Aberdeen’s new £400m South Harbour will not be transformed overnight.
Many of the thousands of people who dock there will not be spending their cash locally.
Instead, they’ll be jumping on a bus bound for places like Balmoral or Speyside.
But if the overall impact is a positive one like it has been in Invergordon, that has to be a good thing.
Conversation