Portland Port in south Dorset is celebrating a stellar year, which saw it welcome more cruise ship passengers than ever before in its 27-year history.

Over 130,000 people arrived on 56 ships between April and November this year, with more than 50,000 hailing from the USA, over 24,000 from Germany, 20,000 from the UK and around 10,000 from Canada.

This contributed in excess of £10 million to the local economy as visitors went to shops, bars, cafes and takeaways, along with tours of the UNESCO world heritage sites of the Jurassic Coast, Stonehenge and Bath, taxis and coaches.

“Our record season shows how Portland continues to increase in popularity as a cruise destination,” said Ian McQuade, Portland Port’s commercial general manager and the chair of trade association Cruise Britain.

“Our location so close to the main English Channel shipping lanes at the heart of the Jurassic Coast makes Portland Port an attractive transit port for guests wishing to see the many and varied attractions of Dorset and beyond.”

McQuade added that the cruise calls “don’t just fall into our laps” and the port had to work hard to attract the cruise lines and “even harder” to ensure excellent service when visitors are in port.

The first call to the port of the season was the AIDAbella on March 7, followed by Holland America Lines’ MS Zuiderdam on April 15 and Hurtigruten’s MS Otto Sverdrup on April 16 – both making inaugural visits. Other first timers to Portland were Oceania Vista, Oceania Riviera, Disney Dream, MSC Euribia and AIDAmar.

A major recent investment at the port has been the £26m deep water berth, allowing it to welcome larger vessels, including ships up to 350m in length on opposite berths on the same day.

The deep-water berth was christened by the MSC Virtuosa on April 28 with 5,015 passengers. She returned with 6,025 passengers on October 26.

The new berth also played host to the largest double cruise day of the season in October when the Norwegian Star, with 2,269 passengers, and the MSC Euribia, with 5,227 passengers, both called – making a total of 7,496 passengers.

Portland Port also hosted trade association Cruise Britain’s annual summer gathering for the first time. The major national event was held in partnership with Princess Cruises.

And planning for the port’s 2024 season is already well underway.

“Next year looks set to be another busy and successful season in the development of the cruise industry in Dorset and we look forward to sharing more details about our exciting plans in due course,” said McQuade.

Portland Port, operated and privately owned by the Portland Port Group, was formerly a Naval base and has operated on a commercial basis since 1996. It employs 54 staff and lets space to a number of tenants, including dry and liquid bulk cargo businesses, which provide employment for about 300 people.

• https://www.portland-port.co.uk/

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