The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) and Cruise Ireland have welcomed the return to cruise ships following a two-year pause as a result of the pandemic, according to the company’s release.

Ireland will finally reopen again for cruise liners and passengers with the arrival of the MV ‘Viking Venus’ to Dún Laoghaire Harbour on March 29th marking the safe return of the sector after two years. This follows extensive discussions between the Authorities and Cruise Industry Stakeholders that resulted in the development of robust protocols.

The cruise liner industry is estimated to contribute €70 million to the national economy and on average €14 million per year to local economies such as Cork which pre-covid had typically welcomed on average 100 cruise ships per year.

Cruise Ireland is an ‘all-island’ body whose membership includes all of the sector’s key players, its primary focus is to market the island of Ireland as a premier cruise ship destination.

The Port of Cork Company hopes to welcome a return to almost pre-pandemic levels of cruise calls with approx. 90 cruise ships scheduled between April and November 2022 – the first of which will be the ‘Borealis’ cruise ship which will dock in Cobh from the UK on Good Friday, 15th April. PoCC’s cruise berth in Cobh is Ireland’s only dedicated cruise berth.