Cruise bonanza: Cobh to welcome first liner of new season today

COBH is expecting a boom in tourism this summer as more than 90 cruise liners visit the picturesque seaside town, with passengers also making trips to other parts of Cork, generating millions for the local economy.

Famous as the last port of call for the Titanic, Cobh is now often the first port of call for more than 100,000 tourists from Europe and North America. The first liner of the year, Ambience, is due to arrive just before noon today.

Cobh and Harbour Chamber president Johanna Murphy described the cruise ships as a “game changer” for tourism, creating a festival atmosphere in the streets, with visitors from far and wide filling bars, restaurants, and hotels, or taking the train to Cork city.

Between the passengers, crew, and the spectators who come to view the gigantic vessels, the population of Cobh can swell many times over on ship days.

Dozens of vessels, containing between 2,000 and 5,000 passengers each, will visit during this cruise season, which runs until late October.

“The town comes alive and it’s like a festival down here any day a liner is in,” Ms Murphy said.

“[Cruises are] massive from a commerce perspective for our town and the region. 

"The fact that the train runs every half an hour is fantastic.”

The cruise liner industry is estimated to contribute €70m to the national economy and on average €14m per year to local economies such as Cork.

In 2022, the Port of Cork and Bantry Bay Port welcomed 90 cruise ships and more than 115,000 passengers, returning to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

A highlight of last year’s cruise season was the 331m-long MSC Virtuosa, one of the largest cruise ships in the world, which made its maiden call on September 29.

There were a total of 19 maiden cruise liner calls to Cork last season and the most frequent visitor was the Emerald Princess, which called to the port 13 times.

Ms Murphy said the type of visitor who arrives on a cruiser, tends to return on a “normal holiday” generating huge repeat tourism for Cork. Nearby Spike Island, and the Heritage Centre which tells the story of mass emigration to America, with its exhibition on the RMS Titanic, are huge attractions, said Ms Murphy.

“A lot of Americans and Europeans come here. Anyone in Cobh will say, all the shops are busy when the liners come in.

“The passenger and the crew are buying memorabilia, they’re buying shirts, trousers, dresses,” added Ms Murphy.

Helen Murphy of the Cork Business Association said they are also expecting a strong summer season, after a few tough years during covid.

“It really is looking to be a very bright and busy summer for Cork City, especially for the restaurants and cafes in town, with cruise ships coming into Cobh. I think there will be a lot of traffic through Cork Airport too.

“I think we are going to see a lot of tourists in the city centre, and hopefully they’ll be spending money in the bars and cafés and shops.”