Three leading businesses in the North East are working together to attract more cruise ships to the region.
The Port of Tyne, Newcastle International Airport and the NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) have formed the Cruise North East England project, which aims to boost the region’s tourism economy by attracting more cruise ships to the area.
More than 60 cruise liners a year would bring around 700,000 passengers a year through the Port of Tyne’s passenger terminal at North Shields before the Covid pandemic. But cruises stopped altogether in 2020 before a slight recovery in 2021. It’s hoped to return to previous levels this year and attract more cruise ships to the Tyne in future.
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Visitor attractions such as Beamish, Alnwick Castle and Arbeia Roman Fort are also involved in the scheme that aims to strengthen relationships between cruise operators and the North East.
Kate O’Hara, commercial director at the Port of Tyne, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with our partners Newcastle International Airport and NewcastleGateshead Initiative in a joint approach to promote cruise in the region. The North East has so many unique locations to offer with two world heritage sites right on our doorstep.”
Kate Hall, marketing and communications manager at Newcastle International Airport, added: “The North East region has so much to offer inbound tourists. The Visit North East England brand was developed in 2018 to market our fantastic region in overseas markets, to support the work of the North East’s destination management organisations and grow the number of international tourists visiting the region.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the Port of Tyne and NewcastleGateshead Initiative on this strategically important project, which aligns closely with Visit North East England’s aims. We were delighted to be able to provide our website as a platform to host the Cruise North East content and we look forward to working with more of the region’s suppliers as we grow the offering available over the coming months and years.”
