Cruise Ireland and The Port of Cork Company have agreed a new partnership deal between Cruise Ireland and Cruise Britain, aimed at fostering collaboration and driving growth in the cruise business sector.
The cruise industry is estimated to be worth €70m to the economy a year, with onshore spending averaging at €81 per passenger and €29 per crewperson.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by representatives from both Cruise Ireland and Cruise Britain at the Seatrade Global Conference in Miami in Florida - the world's biggest cruise trade show and conference.
The agreement signifies a shared commitment to promoting and developing cruise tourism through joint marketing campaigns, while emphasising sustainable and responsible tourism practices.
It also sets up a framework for cooperation in key areas including promotion of cruise tourism, knowledge sharing, regulatory framework, environmental sustainability and information sharing.
Conor Mowlds, Chair of Cruise Ireland and Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Cork Company, said the new agreement signifies the strong intent to foster connections across borders and seas to bolster positioning for future tourism and economic growth.
"Cruise calls provide essential transient tourism - shorter stays, an injection of economic activity to regions without putting additional pressure on the hospitality sector for the need of bed nights," he said.
"The partnership between Cruise Ireland and Cruise Britain holds promise for driving economic growth, job creation, and sustainable tourism across our islands," he added.
Ian McQuade, Chair of Cruise Britain, said the MoU marks a real step change in the working relationship between Britain and Ireland's shoreside cruise businesses.
"For the cruise sector, the United Kingdom and Ireland represent a key operating region within Northern Europe and all partners can benefit from working together to leverage increased business and a smooth, sustainable growth trajectory," Mr McQuade said.
"Cruise Britain absolutely believes that ports and service providers are stronger together and can deliver better experiences through collaboration, sharing of best practices and addressing common challenges. To extend this across the Irish Sea to the whole of Ireland represents a key development and we look forward to working with our Cruise Ireland colleagues in the future," he added
