Cruise traffic is only drop in the ocean

There has been exponential growth in cruise ship passenger numbers passing through Galway Harbour over the past five years, new figures prove.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) release shows that the numbers of cruise ship passengers docking in Galway quintupled since 2006.

And a Galway West TD and strong supporter of the harbour re-development, says a revamped port that can facilitate larger ships berthing in-harbour will result in ten times as many cruise ships passengers visiting in the years ahead.

The CSO figures were released this week showing that the numbers of cruise ships visiting Galway has increased from two ships in 2006 to six in 2012.

And the number of cruise passengers docking in Galway Harbour has increased steadily through the years 2006 to 2012.

There were 436 in 2006; 460 in 2007; 270 in 2008; 650 in 2009, none in 2010; 737 in 2011; and 2,023 in 2012, the biggest year on record for cruise ship passengers.

Former Fine Gael TD, Brian Walsh, says that if the harbour redevelopment gets the go-ahead, then the numbers will increase by ten times as much and possibly more.

“The opportunities are endless . . . If the port is redeveloped and the ships can come in and dock at the harbour as opposed to having to berth in the bay and get smaller boats to ferry them in, then there are huge opportunities for growth in tourist numbers,” he said.

“Look at Cork City, their port isn’t even in the city centre like Galway, but they say that it’s the equivalent of three Jumbo jets landing, such is the impact that these cruise ships have when they dock. Galway’s Harbour is unique in that the city centre is just a five minutes’ walk away from the ships.”

Deputy Walsh confirmed that the Harbour Board is expected to lodge plans for the dock redevelopment “in a matter of weeks”.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.