Record cruise passengers pass through port (From Daily Echo)

Record cruise passengers pass through port

10:13am Wednesday 28th November 2007 in

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THIS year will end with a record number of Britons taking cruise holidays with the majority of passengers having passed through Southampton.

It is expected that a record-breaking total of 1.35 million people from the UK will have stepped aboard the increasing number of cruise ships during 2007. Pedictions for next year estimate the number of passengers will grow by a further 14 per cent to 1.55m.

Demand is now so high the port of Southampton is set to see the development of a fourth passenger cruise terminal aimed at boosting dockside capacity.

These figures are set to grow with the arrival in Southampton next month of Cunard's brand new vessel, Queen Victoria, while in spring 2008 P&O Cruises will introduce the giant Ventura, the largest cruise ship ever to be built spefically for the home market, and Royal Caribbean International's vast, Independence of the Seas, the biggest vessel of its type in the world, will also arrive in the city.

It is thought that cruising has grown in popularity due to travellers increasingly getting fed-up with crowded airports and delayed flights while cruise companies tempt passengers with value-for-money offers and deals.