Belfast's 2022 cruise ship booking sheet 'strong'

The arrival of Fred Olsen's Borealis in Belfast on Wednesday marked the end of a cruise ship season that many thought would not happen.

The vessel was the 72nd to call to the city this year.

That number is down significantly on pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the city welcomed 146 ships.

Belfast Harbour has told BBC News NI it hopes to reach those levels again next year.

"It's been a fantastic season. In 2020 we had one ship call, but it's been fantastic to see the ships back in port again this year," Gary Hall, from Belfast Harbour, said.

"The booking sheet is strong for 2022. It is going to take us throughout the winter to keep a close eye on restrictions and to work closely with the industry.

"I really would hope we can get back to pre-pandemic levels for 2022.

"On top of the visitor spend, you have the businesses that supply services to the ship, like fresh food, water and provisions to keep going, so there is a big local contribution to businesses."

It is hard to miss the large vessels when they dock in the city. Driving down the M2, they cut a striking image in the skyline.

The first cruise ship to come to Belfast this year was the MSC Virtuosa

When the first ship called in June, passengers were restricted to travelling in bubbles.

As restrictions eased over the summer, visitors were able to disembark and choose where to visit.

More than 55,000 passengers have arrived on ships this year.

Research a number of years ago suggested this type of tourism was worth as much as £15m per season.

Hotel occupancy also up

MaryJo McCanny from Visit Belfast said the summer has been much better than anticipated.

"There's been a benefit for the north coast, but certainly for Belfast and other regions of Northern Ireland. Even when we had bubble excursions, some of those tours were going into attractions as private tours.

"There was spend into the economy in the early days on coaches, guides, attractions and food. Certainly since restrictions eased from late August, when independent travel was allowed, that's when we saw the traditional spend into the whole tourism industry from cruises."

The hotel sector does not feel the benefit of the cruise ships docking in Belfast, as visitors are only on shore for a few hours or a day at most.

However, one hotelier told BBC News NI occupancy levels are higher than before the pandemic due to an influx of visitors from the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

Janice Gault, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Business programme that she was optimistic about the year ahead.

"There is great interest from April onwards. Hopefully international travel will be back and we hope the chancellor will listen to us with regard to the VAT reduction.

"We do think there has been great interest in Northern Ireland with staycations performing well over the summer.

"We would like to get to Christmas and have an enjoyable and safe and happy Christmas, but I think that 2022 is something for all of us to look forward to."

Fred Olsen's Borealis left Belfast on Wednesday afternoon to take passengers to the Norwegian fjords.

The cruise ship season is over for now, with the next ship set to call in February.