To build a luxury cruise liner in Liverpool as European Capital of Culture is the world's major holiday operators. With the ability of 1,300 Celebration offering luxury journeys to ports as Morocco, Thomson Cruises is making an addition of the Mersey as a home port the coming year. For the first time Liverpool is used as a beginning point for its cruises.
David Selby, head of Thomson Cruises, said last night: "We delighted to announce that we are expanding our UK programme by adding Liverpool to our range of UK ports in 2008".
30 cruises, with 50,000 passengers, starting in Liverpool during 2008 to Amazon, Greenland and the Mediterranean is a record. Thomson is joining Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and cruise operators Page and Moy and Saga from the Mersey. "Thomson's decision is great news for the city", says Warren Bradley, Liverpool council leader.
"It's a massive boost to tourism, and brings home the fact that our cruise liner terminal is fast becoming a reality. The terminal is a vitally important development not only for the city, but for the region and will have a huge impact on our future as a world city. Liverpool is an outward-looking, vibrant dynamic city which is attracting more and more visitors".
A city council spokesman says: "The new cruise liner facility is on course to be completed on time for the official launch in September, which will coincide with the arrival of the QE2 to Liverpool".
