Prepare to Cruise Wales, Discover Secrets of Anglesey Island
With increasing numbers of people wanting to cruise Wales along with other UK ports, there is a strong possibility that Wales will before long emulate major European cruise ports as a destination for the big leisure cruise market. This is how the Welsh Affairs Select Committee of legislators in the House of Commons, the British Parliament, concluded their report. It points to strong growth in the UK cruise market over the last ten years or so, and urges the need to secure some growth in cruise ship visits to bolster the economies of Welsh port communities.
Any keen cruise travellers should note that before they make advanced bookings to cruise Wales there is currently a slight difficulty with providing adequate facilities for berthing and Welsh ports infrastructure to service the fast growing fleet of big ships cruising European waters needs to be upgraded. Meanwhile there is a campaign called the “Celtic Wave” led by Anglesey, which has a budget of around $2m and covers ports in Ireland and Wales, with the aim of attracting more cruise visitors to these ports and their wider regional economies.
In Cardiff the Welsh Assembly Government is urging the UK government to offer extra infrastructure investment to get ports like Holyhead on Anglesey, Swansea and Milford Haven up to a quality threshold demanded by the cruise line operators. There is a mega potential boost for local port economies, according to the conclusions of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee, and their regional economies would benefit by making it easier for people to cruise Wales as part of the UK cruising vacation.
Over the longer term the prospects of Welsh ports catching up with Baltic ports is encouraging, an area where a popular cruise market already thrives. From Holyhead in the North West of Wales to Newport via Swansea and Milford Haven, ports in Wales can act as catalysts for economic regeneration when they attract visitors to cruise Wales. In 2009 the first cruise ship visited Newport, close to Celtic Manor which will host the Ryder Cup in 2010. The cruise visitors arriving in Newport had the opportunity to visit Cardiff sites such as the Millennium Centre and the castle.
Similarly, there are many attractions for cruise visitors when their ship arrives at Holyhead, Anglesey, including World Heritage Castles of Wales at Beaumaris and Caernarfon, South Stack Lighthouse and Llynnon Mill, along with the excellent island coastal path, as well as the Oriel Art Gallery and Seawatch centre at Moelfre.
The Welsh Assembly Government is offering financial support to strengthen the facilities for the expected rise in cruise ship visits to Holyhead, most notably to strengthen the jetty used by Anglesey Aluminium Metals (AAM), which offers an ideal anchorage and a perfect disembarkation berth for cruise ship passengers. When finished this improvement will mean this Holyhead Port outer harbour pier will be strong enough to take huge ships like the Westerdam, a 2,000 passengers carrying, 285 metre liner.
The future looks bright and exciting for visitors to the UK looking to cruise Wales as part of their overall experience, and Holyhead port will be ready to welcome them as they look to explore the many island attractions.
The author, David Phillips, comes from the magical island of Anglesey off North Wales, UK and runs an informative website focusing on local news and information. Find out more about preparing to cruise Wales here to help make your holiday more enjoyable.