Europe as a cruise destination is going from strength to strength.  

In particular the eight ports which make up Cruise Atlantic Europe (Lisbon, Porto (Leixões), A Coruña, Bilbao, Brest, St Malo, Dover and Cork), are celebrating another year of growth.   With even better port facilities, continued destination investment, operator cost-saving opportunities and a brand new royalty free marketing tool kit, including eight fantastic HD destination videos, Cruise Atlantic Europe ports are proving that if cruise operators want to make business savvy choices to maximise profits, then Atlantic Europe is the region to head to.

Next year promises to be another successful one for the region.  Every month more cruise operators are choosing to visit Cruise Atlantic Europe ports and already 2012 port calls booked have exceeded 2011 and are still rising.  In addition passenger numbers are up by 30% since 2009.  This growth is being supported by investment at the ports. 

Lisbon and Porto have opened new cruise piers to cope with demand and at Lisbon this means the port can offer over 1,900m of berthing space. At Porto cruise ships of up to 300m length will now be able to dock and in October 2011 construction work commences for the new passenger terminal at Leixões (due for completion by the end of 2013).  With the development of a new terminal at A Coruña, eight cruise lines will visit the port for the first time in 2012.  St Malo has also invested €1.2m in refurbishment to improve berths and tender piers to give cruise lines and their customer’s easy access to the historic city centre.

In addition Cruise Atlantic Europe has launched brand new marketing tools, to be showcased at Seatrade Europe. These include eight new destination videos in HD, a photo and video-library and a range of leaflets promoting the ports.  The libraries, which contain hundreds of high resolution images and over 1900 video clips shot in full HD, cover all the major sights not only in the ports themselves, but also nearby tourist attractions. Shot in over 150 locations, they provide the most comprehensive coverage ever of these destinations.  The eight destination videos entitled “In the space of one day”, showcase some of the new video footage and provide a vibrant insight as to the many attractions available to visitors.

The many attractions – including 14 UNESCO World Heritage sites and three European Capitals of Culture – coupled with the investment at the ports are ensuring Atlantic Europe is a viable and profitable option for cruise operators.    

Helena Fernandes from Cruise Atlantic Europe comments: “Once more the Cruise Atlantic Europe ports are demonstrating their appeal to cruise operators wishing to maximise savings and increase benefits to themselves and to their customers who can take advantage of the many wonderful attractions accessible from the ports.  Combine this with our investment in new and extensive royalty free library of images and video – which we believe may be the largest ever made available – and the opportunities offered to operators will ensure continued growth in Atlantic Europe.”