Shipping company Brittany Ferries has confirmed plans to introduce a new “cruise-ferry” that will serve Irish passengers travelling to and from Spain later this year.
The company will replace the Connemara, a predominantly freight vessel with little facilities onboard, with a more “tourism-oriented” ship.
The journey from Rosslare to Bilbao, Spain, takes about 27 to 33 hours, with passengers spending at least one night onboard the ship.
The new ship, called Galicia, can take up to 1,015 passengers and is “closer in style to cruise-ferries like the company’s flagship Pont-Aven, with far better facilities for holidaymakers”.
Galicia was launched back in December 2020, travelling from Portsmouth to Santander. It has a Spanish theme, which is a first for the company.
The ship has a sundeck with sports equipment, a children’s play area, onboard shopping, a play area with interactive digital games and more.
It is hoped that the cruise-ferry will allow Tourism Ireland to highlight the ease of access to that part of Spain, encouraging tourists to come and discover Ireland by car.
Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Ireland’s Director of Markets, said: “We already work very closely with Brittany Ferries and we look forward to co-operating with them to maximise the promotion of this service to Rosslare.
“Tourism Ireland is rolling out an extensive programme of promotional activity in Spain throughout 2022.
“Our message is very simple: Ireland is open for business again and we cannot wait to ‘roll out the green carpet’ and welcome back our Spanish visitors.”
Brittany Ferries’ President Jean-Marc Roué said: “Our research has indicated that there is a demand there from Irish people wishing to holiday in Spain and Galicia will certainly make for a far more enjoyable experience for them.
“The job now is to work in partnership with tourism bodies in Ireland and Spain to ensure that holidaymakers fill our ships and enrich destinations in both markets.”
The route between Rosslare and Bilbao was set up in February 2020, primarily as a freight route.
Galicia will take over the route later this year, with no revised prices released yet.
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