CFPA welcomes largest passenger vessel
Invergordon will welcome the largest number of passengers from a single vessel when the Crown Princess cruise liner visits the port on Friday 3 July 2009, as part of her round Britain and Ireland cruise, which includes a maiden call at the Highland port.
Arriving at 0530 hours from Greenock, passengers will be greeted by a piper as they disembark and head towards an array of attractions across the area, bringing a welcome boost to local businesses. Already some 47 tours with buses and boats are scheduled to visit many different tourist businesses in the Highlands, ranging from dolphin spotting to wildlife photography.
Waiting at the entrance to the Admiralty Pier, with free local tourist information will be the volunteer hosts from the Invergordon Tourism Alliance, dressed in their distinctive blue sweatshirts, with the Oystercatcher logo.
On arrival the Captain of the Crown Princess will be presented with a plaque from the Highland Council. Cruise Highlands Ltd, cruise liner marketing arm of Cromarty Firth Port Authority (CFPA), will also present a personalised copy of “This Noble Harbour,” a book published by CFPA outlining the history and development of the Cromarty Firth as a harbour.
A Scottish folkloric show will entertain passengers on board the 113,651 gross tonne cruise liner, followed by a pipe band as a finale to say ‘Haste ye Back’ on departure for South Queensferry at 1800 hours.
Captain Iain Dunderdale, cruise development manager for Cruise Highlands Ltd, said: “The arrival of Crown Princess at Invergordon, with its record number of passengers, shows how far the Scottish Highlands has come in terms of cruise tourism in a period of just a few short years. Invergordon now ranks in the top tier of cruise ports, alongside Amsterdam, Bergen, Copenhagen and Reykjavik.
“Large cruise liners such as the Crown Princess, which will be calling at Invergordon four times this season, provide an enormous boost to the local economy. Approximately fifty cruise ships will visit the area this summer, bringing visitors from across the world.”
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