Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
Another busy day for the town on Wednesday (3 July) with both the Carnival Legend and AIDAstella in port.
Some interesting statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) underline the economic benefits of this trade to the port and town. Europe has five year annual growth of 8% in the cruise trade and there has been a 10% increase in the popularity of so-called 'cool water' cruising in Northern Europe, as opposed to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean!
The cruise trade contributed £2.49 billion to the UK economy in 2012 and 11,000 jobs in the south east. The Port of Southampton estimate that each cruise ship turnaround contributes £2.5 million to the local economy.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
a good post there kevin,but I am sure someone would disagree with you.
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
Impressive figures there Kevin, just shows what a real asset having the Cruise business in Dover is.
Audere est facere.
Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
Now we know what they mean by 'cool water' cruising looking at today's weather! Here's hoping for a busy day of economic benefits for the town.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Going by Southampton's figures, an extra three cruise ships could mean the end to 'parking fines' for the whole of Kent.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
I must say £2.5 million a ship seems rather high, possibly an exaggeration or maybe their port charges are extremely high.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 745- Registered: 27 Mar 2012
- Posts: 3,370
Charges to high one day they may up Anker and go
Guest 904- Registered: 21 Mar 2013
- Posts: 312
Southampton's Cruise market is entirely different from Dover's. Not only do they have 'cold water' & Mediterranean cruises, they have the long haul, trans-atlantic and worldwide cruises that attract a different class of money. On my last visit at the end of May, there were two Cunard "Queens" ready to depart, as well as half a dozen other liners - a little different to our maximum of two liners at any one time.
Southampton's Town Centre is just as unaccessible by foot from the terminals as Dover's is, probably more so - but then it is a busy University city. What it does have in abundance are chain Hotels close to the seafront to suit all budgets.
If Dover was Canterbury-by-the-sea, the cruise customers would stay here to explore, as it is we don't have the perceived "Charming English City" status that cruise customers expect.
I'm sure that will create outrage in some quarters, but that is the hard, blunt truth. Dover needs to come up with it's own USP, rather than moan, or try to compete against Canterbury.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i don't think dover could handle any more tourists than we have at the moment, local businesses have the opportunity to make money from the ones we have - up to them to supply what they want.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Bit of an odd comment Howard, I would have thought Dover could handle a lot more tourists than we get at the moment, I do not count those who simply come to catch the ferry as tourists because they have no intention of visiting the town.
I can remember when I first moved to Dover over 40 years ago we used to get a lot more visitors from over the water than I see around town now.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the reason being that our shop prices brought them over then jan, not so today.
belgians in particular used to go back loaded down with legs of lamb, butter and tins of quality street.
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
Every time the Ostend Ferry came in during shop hours they would send some crew out on mopeds to the shops, they came back loaded like pack mules
Audere est facere.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
and not forgetting the big tins of nescafe,they did like them they did.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
I think you missed my point Howard, which was that we had far more visitors in the past and the town coped perfectly therefore we could easily handle more visitors.
My husband used to 'trade' with a French dockworker French wine for English tea.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Paul.
Mostly agree with your post except Dover has coped very well with 4 Cruise ships on one day and several 3's on other ocasions, so max of 2 is not quite correct.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
Dover has its own charm, Paul! But you're right about the negative attitude. Half the battle is the people not the infrastructure. Let's highlight the positive and work together to sort out the negative!
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Dover thrives on negativity at times it is the one of the things that keeps some Dovorians going, just look at most of the more serious threads on here for examples.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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