The Isles of Scilly is one of seven ports, which have formed a group within the Southwest, aiming at attracting more cruise liners.
The pioneering marketing campaign, aimed at promoting the region as a top destination for cruise liners, was launched on Tuesday the 5th of March. The Isles of Scilly currently attracts between 20 and 25 cruise liners per year, which assists the economy to a great extent. It is hoped that this new campaign will bring an extra ?2.2M to the region, through the seven ports.
The other six ports, three Cornish and three in Devon, are Penzance, Falmouth, Fowey, Plymouth, Dartmouth and Torbay. According to figures released in the Western Morning News newspaper, the seven ports currently attract a total of 70 cruise liners per year to the region, approximately a third of these ships using the Isles of Scilly. During an interview with a Scilly News Journalist for Radio Scilly earlier this year, Steve Douglas, who works in the harbour office, confirmed this idea. He said, “Jeff (the harbourmaster) is working particularly hard at attracting cruise liners; the Cornish ports would also like a higher number of liners.”
The group are being backed by objective one money and local councils, in a move to try and triple the number of cruise liners visiting the region over the next three years. Steve Douglas confirmed that the Council and Duchy of Cornwall were backing the move to attract more liners to Scilly, which has been shown in their endorsement of recent improvements to maritime markers and navigational aids around the Islands.
One notable improvement, set in place in 2001, has been the permanent marker on the north rock of Bartholomew’s ledge. In 1999, one of the largest cruise liners to ever visit the Scilly, the Albatross, hit Bartholomew’s ledge whilst leaving the Islands. The passengers had to be evacuated, as the vessel limped back to a port on the mainland for repairs.
The Naval Vessel, ‘HMS Sutherland? which was moored in the roads for a weekend last August.
In the past, prestigious ships such as the former Royal Yacht Britannia have visited the Islands. The Islands were also considered as a major port during the First World War as an alternative to Plymouth. It was eventually decided that the, then new, ?super dreadnoughts’ were unsuitable for the Islands. The deep waters between Tresco and St. Marys, known as ?the Roads’, are ideal for many types of vessel, including cruise liners and Naval Vessels.