Cruise Connection

Cruise Connection is a public/private partnership aimed at improving tourism from the cruise industry in East Kent.

The worldwide cruise industry is set to grow to more than 17m passengers by 2010 – a 70% increase on 2000. It will mean that cruise passenger numbers will have almost quadrupled in 20 years making it the fastest growing sector in the Travel and Tourism Industry. In 2005 the Dover Cruise Terminals handled 159,253 passengers. Port of Dover are predicting in their business plan that Cruise ships to the port will double by 2034.

Cruise Connection is a public/private partnership and includes Port of Dover, Kent Tourism, East Kent Partnership, Dover Pride, Dover District Council, English Heritage, Canterbury Cathedral, Leeds Castle and Kings Ferry Coaches. The aim of the partnership is to attract more cruise operators to use the Port of Dover, to increase the number of port of calls so they are staying longer and to ensure shore excursion programmes are established to keep cruise passengers in East Kent. Its aim is to develop interest and raise awareness of the tourism product in East Kent in the new and emerging markets of the cruise industry which will ultimately lead to cruise bookings to East Kent and its tourism/service businesses.