Southampton cruise brings £1bn to economy with 260 ship stops

Around 460 cruise calls were made in the city, with 2.6million passengers visiting, port operator Associated British Ports said.

ABP said the local, regional and national economy all benefit from the port's work - with 15,000 jobs supported, including in hospitality and services.

Alastair Welch, ABP Regional Director Southampton, said: "We are proud of the role we play in supporting the local, regional and national economy.

"While this is a record year for cruise in the city, we continue to invest in this and other port-related sectors to ensure long-term success for our port city."

The port boasts five cruise terminals and installed the UK's first large-scale shore power facility in 2021. It means cruise liners can cut pollution to zero emissions when in port if they use the facility.

Calls have been made in recent years for more to be done to get passengers staying and spending in the city when joining or leaving ships.

Stephen Manion, Executive Director of Go Southampton, said: "Cruise passengers are a massively important part of Southampton and Hampshire's tourist economy.

"Cruisers tend to be higher spending visitors than the average and across a wider range of categories.

"We look forward to working with the Port of Southampton to increase not just the numbers of visitors but their ability to access the city and all that it has to offer."  

A statement from ABP added: "ABP encourages passengers to maximise the use of public transport, and we plan our operations with the City's traffic team to minimise disruption.

"We work with the city council and port partners to ensure the air quality levels continue to be below nationally set thresholds, and using the air quality monitors on the port, we can accurately measure this."

The cruise figures from ABP come as the holidaymakers and the industry are set to see Cunard's Queen Anne enter service in Southampton this year.