Poole Harbour will be welcoming hundreds of cruise ship passengers this summer with the arrival of a new cruise liner visiting the town.
Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) has welcomed its first visit from Clio operated by Grand Circle Cruise Line.
The exclusive, luxury cruise liner carries 90 passengers, mostly from the USA. The vessel, which is 122 metres long and was originally built in 1998, will be operating between Poole and Edinburgh this summer, calling at Irish, Scottish and west coast English ports.
PHC chief executive Jim Stewart, said: “It’s great to see an uplift in cruise activity in the port and to welcome the cruise ship passengers to Poole so that they can enjoy everything the town has to offer.
“These smaller vessels cater for the top end of the market, however next year we expect to welcome larger ships carrying up to 1,000 passengers to Poole with the construction of our new quay.”
Grand Circle Cruise Line is the leader in small ship cruising worldwide and invested five million pounds refurbishing Clio at the beginning of May.
Poole has also welcomed the ocean-cruising vessel Corinthian this summer, the vessel has already called into the port six times and is too owned by Grand Circle Cruise Line.
The Corinthian carries 98 passengers and features itineraries throughout Europe and North Africa, including the British Isles, the Baltics, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, France, and beyond.
Jim added: “PHC is delighted to confirm that both Clio and Corinthian are both booked in for 2017. We work very hard to ensure that we provide the best customer service and we are confident that the message that Poole is a perfect place for cruise activity will spread throughout the cruise sector.”