Cruise ports across Great Britain marked some key milestones in 2024 when they welcomed a record 2,500-plus cruise ship calls and embarked a record 1.6 million passengers.
New data from Cruise Britain shows year-over-year growth, from 2023 to 2024, reached an enviable 9.9%. The boost in ship calls delivered 2 million-plus guests to Britain’s ports and surrounding destinations and attractions, and that translated into an economic boon.
According to the findings, each transit guest injects an average of £80 ($103 USD) into local coffers, meaning that the total transit arrival number accounts for a £170 million ($220 million USD) infusion of spending into local and regional economies through shore tours, shopping, and other services cruisers spend money on during port calls.
Most of the transit arrivals — more than 75%, were foreign visitors, with the lion’s share hailing from the US and Germany.
The numbers bode well for the future of cruise tourism in the UK, and some ports are taking more steps to attract additional business. Among them is the Port of Dover, which recently completed upgrades that will enable larger cruise ships to call at the southeast England destination.
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Cruise Britain represents ports in England, Scotland, and Wales, and in April 2024, signed a memorandum of understanding with Cruise Ireland that created a partnership between the two groups.
“Britain and Ireland cruise popularity goes from strength-to-strength with the diverse multi-country story of discovery really resonating with visitors, whether they be international guests, as the vast majority are, or UK residents exploring their own country,” said Ian McQuade, chairman of Cruise Britain.
“Looking ahead, we expect that the current season will continue to build on the strong 2024 figures,’’ added McQuade.
All told in 2024, 57 cruise ports received visits from 134 cruise ships representing virtually all of the major global cruise lines, from mega-ships to small, luxury vessels.
The UK’s largest port, Southampton, is expecting record numbers of cruise arrivals in 2025. It will follow a record 2024, when more than 3 million passengers transited the port either as port call visitors or guests embarking or disembarking a ship.
The port has experienced a busy first quarter of 2025, and had the honor of welcoming Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, during one of her inaugural sailings in late March.
Port of Dover Looks to Attract Larger Cruise Ships
Among the initiatives to bolster the growth of Britain’s cruise industry is the Port of Dover’s newly completed project to improve the moorings on its two cruise berths, enabling larger ships to call at the southeast England destination.
The £6 million ($7.7 million USD) moorings upgrade allows ships up to 350 meters, or 1,148 feet, in length to dock in Dover.
That length still excludes the industry’s largest ships, such as Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas (1,196 feet) and Oasis of the Seas (1,186 feet), for example, but does enable most mega-ships to call.
Ships such as Norwegian Aqua, at 1,056 feet, will be able to dock, along with other notable ships like Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Sun Princess, at 1,134 feet, and Cunard’s iconic Queen Mary 2, at 1,132 feet.
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The April 4, 2025 announcement that the mooring project is completed solidifies Dover’s ambitions to be a leader in the UK’s cruise sector.
“We are delighted to share this exciting news with the industry, which demonstrates our long-term commitment to be one of the UK’s leading cruise destinations. My thanks go to our engineering and operations teams for delivering this key project,” said Peter Wright, head of cruise at the Port of Dover.
Twenty-plus cruise lines typically call each year at the port, which had a robust 2024. The facility also operates growing cargo and marina businesses.
