MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Further growth in Falklands tourism anticipated this year
FITB Manager Jake Downing enthusiastic with the coming tourist season THE Falkland Islands is anticipating a growth of nearly 9% in cruise ship visitors in the coming season.
SIXTY two thousand two hundred and three cruise visitors landed in the Falklands last season, confirmed Falkland Islands Tourist Board General Manager Jake Downing. This number comprises 77% of the cruise ships' total capacity; a growth of 21% on the previous season. He said, "Capacity for next season has increased, and if we achieve 77% again then we estimate visitor numbers of 67,760. This would be a growth of 8.9% on last season." Speaking of infrastructure developments he said, "By next season we aim to have a new shelter erected at the Jetty Visitors Centre making it more comfortable for cruise visitors while they are waiting for their tours and tenders." The season this year starts on October 20 with a visit from the NG Endeavour,and ends on April 7, 2009 He added, "We firmly believe in the importance of understanding our market and are therefore conducting Focus Groups in the UK this week, with one of the aims being to try and gauge an understanding of how much the current economic situation is affecting their travel plans. I think the information will be incredibly useful to the tourist board an industry for our future planning." Each year thousands of tourists make the journey to the Falklands onboard a cruise ship or expedition vessel. This increasingly popular method of travel allows people to visit many sites that remain largely inaccessible to land-based tourists in the Falklands, all from the comfort and safety of a world-class vessel. Cruise ships visiting the Falklands vary greatly in size, and range from well-equipped yachts to icebreakers and luxury cruise vessels such as the QE2. Passenger numbers onboard can be as few as 10 or as grand as 3,000. Most vessels visit the seaside capital Stanley, but some operators also include outlying islands. The Falklands are generally included as part of a larger cruise itinerary, which may incorporate such famous destinations as South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula and selected South American ports. By Lisa Johnston – SeAledPR - Stanley
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