Virgin Voyages, P&O, Saga, AIDA, Viking Cruises in Portsmouth: tourist attractions and businesses say ‘keep the cruise books local’

That’s the message from tourist and leisure attractions in Portsmouth and Hampshire as they came together to trumpet the myriad of reasons why the growing number of passengers entering the city shouldn’t have to travel far to s have fun.

Shaping Portsmouth, the not-for-profit company with the mission of transforming Portsmouth together, hosted the Portsmouth and Hampshire Cruise Business event at the Queen’s Hotel in Southsea to bring together businesses responsible for cruise ship shore excursions and stakeholders local.

Stef Nienaltowski, CEO of Shaping Portsmouth, said: “It was a perfect example of the importance of our partnerships in delivering our innovative programs that make Portsmouth the number one riverside city in Britain to invest in, live, learn, work and visit. The Queens Hotel was instrumental in planning this inaugural shore excursion event, where over 30 of our locations had the opportunity to meet and discuss how we can provide visiting cruise passengers with an experience of world class in and around our city.

Kate Pearce, Shaping’s Cruise Passenger Program Co-Manager and Head of Communications at The Queens Hotel, said: ‘We are passionate about flying the flag for the city and playing a key role in delivering the best experience. available to visitors. Businesses in the city have a major opportunity to share the benefits of cruise passengers coming to Portsmouth as part of a transit stopover or to start their journey.

“We look forward to forging closer ties with cruise tour companies as they build itineraries that fully showcase the incredible attractions and cultural life that the city and the wider region have to offer. Let’s keep the cruise pound local.

The Portsmouth International Port Master Plan has the growth of shipping as one of its main objectives, focusing on smaller boutique ships, rather than the larger ships that visit Southampton.