Cruise Wales and Visit World Heritage Castles of Wales on Anglesey
November 17th, 2009 by Parsifal Roberts, under Vacations. No Comments
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.
Similarly, there are many attractions for cruise visitors when their ship arrives at Holyhead, Anglesey, including World Heritage Castles of Wales at Beaumaris and Caernarfon, South Stack Lighthouse and Llynnon Mill, along with the excellent island coastal path, as well as the Oriel Art Gallery and Seawatch centre at Moelfre.
Financial support is available from the Welsh Assembly Government to help strengthen the berth infrastructure for the anticipated increase in cruise ship visits to Holyhead, particularly for making the former aluminium smelter suitable for docking. This jetty provides an excellent sheltered berth and is ideal for cruise ship passenger disembarkation. On completion this upgrade will see the Holyhead Port outer harbour pier strong enough to take mega liners such as the 285 m long Westerdam, which carries 2,000 passengers.
Looking ahead the prospects looks good for potential UK cruise visitors wanting to cruise Wales as part of their overall itinerary, and for sure Holyhead port will be set to give them a great welcome as they set out to search for the various attractions on and off the island.
Living on the sunny island of Anglesey Wales in the UK, the author, David Phillips, edits an informative website covering local news and information. Discover more about organising to cruise Wales here to help make your vacation more pleasurable.
