Cruise Ireland is teaming up with Cruise Britain to foster collaboration and drive growth in the cruise business sector, according to a press release.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by representatives from both Cruise Ireland and Cruise Britain. The agreement represents a shared commitment to promoting and developing cruise tourism through joint marketing campaigns and establishes a framework for cooperation in key areas such as promotion of cruise tourism, knowledge sharing, regulatory framework, environmental sustainability, joint committees and information sharing.

Conor Mowlds, chair of Cruise Ireland and chief commercial officer at the Port of Cork Company, said: “This agreement signifies the strong intent to foster connections across borders and seas to bolster our positioning for future tourism and economic growth.

“Cruise calls provide essential transient tourism – shorter stays, an injection of economic activity to regions without putting additional pressure on the hospitality sector for the need of bed nights. Onshore spending averages over €80 per passenger and almost €30 per crewperson, highlighting the substantial economic benefits for the regions.

“The partnership between Cruise Ireland and Cruise Britain holds promise for driving economic growth, job creation, and sustainable tourism across our islands.”

Ian McQuade, chair of Cruise Britain added: “Cruise Britain welcomes this MoU which marks a real step change in the working relationship between Britain and Ireland’s shoreside cruise businesses. For the cruise sector, the United Kingdom and Ireland represent a key operating region within Northern Europe and all partners can benefit from working together to leverage increased business and a smooth, sustainable growth trajectory.

“As an association spanning the four nations of the UK, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands, Cruise Britain absolutely believes that ports and service providers are stronger together and can deliver better experiences through collaboration, sharing of best practices and addressing common challenges. To extend this across the Irish Sea to the whole of Ireland represents a key development and we look forward to working with our Cruise Ireland colleagues in the future.”