Article Written By: David Phillips
With a greater number of travellers seeking to cruise Wales as well as other parts of the UK, there seems an increasing chance that Wales will soon catch up with the long established European cruise ports as a desired destination in the popular leisure cruise market. In the British Parliament a special committee of legislators focusing on Wales have produced a report with such conclusions. The report indicates that the UK cruise market enjoyed strong growth over the last decade or so, and it recommends that efforts be made to secure more growth in cruise ship arrivals to strengthen Welsh port communities and economies.If you are an enthusiastic cruise traveller just be aware that before you make early bookings to cruise Wales there is currently some difficulty with offering suitable facilities for berthing at some Welsh ports, where the infrastructure needs to be upgraded to cater for the fast growing fleet of big ships cruising European waters. "Celtic Wave" is a campaign led by Anglesey with a budget of around $2m and covering Irish and Welsh ports, which aims to attract more cruise ship visitors to these ports and their economic hinterlands.The UK government has been asked by the Welsh Assembly Government to provide offer more funds for extra infrastructure investment so ports such as Holyhead on Anglesey and Swansea can raise standards to a level expected by the cruise line companies. According to the conclusions of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee report, there is a significant opportunity to strengthen local port economies along with their regions, which would gain as it becomes easier for visitors to cruise Wales as part of their UK cruising experience.Looking further ahead the outlook is encouraging for Welsh ports to catch up with Baltic ports where there is already a popular cruise market. From Newport, Swansea, Milford haven all the way to Holyhead in the North West, ports in Wales can be the drivers of economic regeneration when they attract travellers to cruise Wales. The summer of 2009 saw the first cruise ship visit Newport, and in 2010 nearby Celtic Manor will host the Ryder Cup. The cruise passengers from Newport had the chance to see Cardiff attractions including the Millennium Centre and the castle.Likewise on arrival at Holyhead Port on Anglesey, cruise visitors can see some great sites such as the UN World Heritage Castles of Wales at Beaumaris and Caernarfon, Wales's only working windmill at Llynnon, Llanddeusant, and South Stack Lighthouse near Holyhead. And you cannot forget the 125- mile long island coastal path set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the remarkable Oriel Art Gallery and Seawatch centre at Moelfre.To boost the berthing facilities for the anticipated increase in cruise ship arrivals at Holyhead, the Welsh Assembly Government is providing financial support to strengthen the jetty used by Anglesey Aluminium Metals (AAM), which provides excellent sheltered anchorage and a convenient disembarkation point for cruise line passengers. When completed this upgrade will see the Holyhead outer harbour jetty strong enough to allow mega liners such as the 2,000 passenger carrying, 285 metre Westerdam to berth at Holyhead Port.The future outlook looks very promising for potential UK cruise visitors planning to cruise Wales as part of their overall UK travel plans, and certainly Holyhead port will be ready to receive them as warmly as ever, as they embark upon their visits to the various sites of interest on and off the island.
This Article Has Been Published on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 and Read 185 Times