Cherbourg joined the network of Cruise Friendly destinations with the official signing session that took place in Miami on Tuesday.

Thus, Cherbourg became the first Normandy and Atlantic port to join the network of Cruise Friendly destinations alongside La Martinique, La Réunion, Yokohama, Sète, and 10 cities in Var Provence.

Julien Bougon, Head of Cherbourg tourist office said: “We are proud to join today this club of best hospitality cruise destinations. Nowadays, more than ever after the pandemic, we need to send a strong message to cruise line operators about how committed we are towards their guests, providing them our Cruise Friendly guide to ensure they spend a great time visiting our destination.”

“Following the COVID-19 pandemic shotdown, we are delighted to finally observe the resumption of cruise activity worldwide and specifically in France by welcoming cruise ships once again on our shores in 2022. Our Cruise Friendly approach has crossed the Pacific, the Atlantic as it is now deployed in Normandy which makes us very proud ! We truly cater delivering a sincere and warm welcome to cruise guests coming from different countries to help them grasp the very essence of what makes our destinations so special, its people, their authentic art of living,” added Basil Gertis, Var Chamber of Commerce and Industry President.

The Cruise Friendly also offers the Cruise Friendly application for guests to not miss out on easily found attractions, shop at local merchants’ shops with various advantages, and access other service providers.

Cruise Friendly helps direct passenger flows to relevant areas and charter partners and generates economic benefits through a network of more than 1,000 merchants, leisure and tourism service providers.

St-Raphaël, Fréjus, Cavalaire, Le Lavandou, Hyères, Sanary, Bandol and Le Castellet and Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer are where the Cruise Friendly network was launched in 2013.