Larger numbers of people from the north of England may choose to set sail on
cruises from Liverpool in the future as a programme has been discussed to more than treble the number of ships arriving in the city.
Liverpool City Council has developed a partnership with harbour owners Peel Holdings and Mersey Docks and come up with a ten-year plan to make the destination one of the largest cruise hubs in the UK alongside Southampton.
Some 15 ships stopped in Liverpool during 2009, including the
Queen Mary 2 from
Cunard Cruises, with the planners optimistic of increasing this figure to 50.
Mersey Docks managing director Gary Hodgson, speaking for Peel Ports, said: "We still believe that there is opportunity in the city for cruise market growth.
"We are committed to working together with our partners to plan the strategy for this growth, allowing the Mersey's obvious potential in this segment of the market to be fully realised."
The developments have arisen just days after the Department of Transport rejected plans to use the Pier Head terminal as a "turnaround facility" due to it breaching EU competition law.
Liverpool's appeal to visitors is likely to have been boosted by it being named the European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Written by Chris Smith
