Fife’s economy could be boosted by between £1.1 and £2.25 million if a new group tempts cruise ship passengers into the region.
With around 15,000 passengers due to sail up the Forth to the port of Rosyth and willing to spend on average between £75 to £150 that would be a massive boost to the economy.
Factor in the fact that in total 88,000 passengers arrived in the Forth some berth off Hound Point at South Queensferry and others at Leith last year and the bonanza could be ever greater.
That, along with providing an enhanced welcome to Fife, was the reason behind the launch of an initiative yesterday by Dunfermline and West Fife Local Tourism Association.
Following a year of learning in 2011, in which the association made tentative steps to providing some kind of welcome and information to passengers arriving at Rosyth, they have gained the support of Forth Ports, Fife Tourism Partnership and Fife Chamber of Commerce to provide a better ‘welcome to Fife’ service this tourist season.
On Wednesday business and those interested in volunteering as a welcoming committee packed into the former departure lounge at the port building, which is no longer much in use after Scotland’s only direct passenger ferry to the continent was scrapped.
They heard from former chief constable Peter Wilson, the project leader, how the potential was there to ensure Fife made the most of the lucrative funding stream.
They heard how tourists received a warm welcome and got to see the sights available on the doorstep, including nearly 50 golf courses within 40 miles of the port, and took their good memories home and shared them with other potential visitors.’History and shopping’Last year 27 cruise ships docked at Rosyth and on average a third of passengers disembarked with no excursions planned to find no information available about what amenities or tourist attractions were available.
From small beginnings volunteers helped the passengers and the fledging service evolved to being able to greet them not at the terminal but shipside, and organising a shuttle bus to take them to Dunfermline and North Queensferry.
Mr Wilson said: ”We want to raise the profile and invite local businesses to work together today there are over 50 businesses from across Fife to see how we can work better together to market tourism.
”Last year, from a standing start, we thought we could do better than what was there nothing.
”What we learned is that passengers wanted a little bit of history and a little bit of shopping.
”And many people do not want to go to Edinburgh many do, but many don’t.”
Now on to the next stage of the initiative called the Forth Bridges Tourism this year will see an information point and Wifi facilities and the chance to introduce events at the port.
Nik Scott Gray from Forth Ports said 63,000 passengers called into the Forth in 2010 and 88,000 last year and cruises were already booked into 2013 in what remained a ”very positive market”.
”There is a massive mix of passenger types some passengers pay a significant amount of money to be on that particular cruise. And the impact on what passengers spent when they get on shore is this it can average at £75 to £150 per passenger, depending on the ship.”
Fife Tourism Partnership manager Ann Camus urged businesses to ”think out the box” when it came to offering passengers, ”some of whom are high spenders”, a unique Fife experience.