Southampton cruise sector makes £1bn for economy, figures show

Each cruise ship carries thousands of passengers, who often disembark in Southampton for a day

The cruise sector has made a record contribution to a local economy this year, a port group has said.

About £1bn has been generated for the Hampshire area by ships docking in Southampton, according to figures from Associated British Ports (ABP).

About 2.6 million passengers and 460 cruise calls were seen across the year, with each call estimated to be worth about £2.7m to the economy.

The port has, however, come in for criticism on its pollution record.

It became the first in the UK to enable shore power for cruise ships in 2021, encouraging them to achieve zero emissions while docked.

The Port of Southampton has five cruise terminals

But recent data showed ships were choosing to burn fuel in port rather than use the plug-in facilities, with vessels plugging in to the National Grid just 71 times in two years. ABP suggested the UK's high electricity costs could be to blame.

The port was also found to have some of the highest levels of cruise ship air pollution in Europe, according to a report released in June.

Carnival, Southampton's main cruise firm, said it was working to reduce emissions.

On the economic benefits, Hampshire councillor Gary Westbrook previously said half of the money generated by the industry stays in the region and supports about 14,000 jobs a year,

The county council's director of Hampshire 2050 told a cabinet meeting the number of cruise ships arriving in the county had reached pre-pandemic levels in October.

The cruise sector is estimated to support jobs in a range of industries, including hospitality, dockworkers and fuel bunkering services.

Alastair Welch, ABP regional director, Southampton, said he was "proud" of the figures.

"While this is a record year for cruise in the city, we continue to invest in this and other port-related sectors to ensure long-term success for our port city," he added.

Councillor Sarah Bogle, Southampton City Council's cabinet member for economic development, said ABP was making "great strides" to improve sustainability and air quality.

"The cruise industry is a very important part of the city's economy and the record year experienced by ABP shows not only how strongly it is growing but also its great contribution to the whole of the south coast," she added.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].