Councillors give their backing to new cruise booking policy

Councillors have today (22 August) recommended a booking policy for future visits of cruise ships to the county.

The new cruise booking and confirmation policy will bring a better defined and transparent process for the busiest locations in Orkney - Hatston Pier, Kirkwall Anchorage and the Kirkwall Piers members of the Harbour Authority Sub-committee heard. This will form part of a wider Orkney tourism strategy.

A vital part of the Orkney economy, it is estimated that the cruise industry injects £12-15 million into the local economy annually with a significant number of people working directly and indirectly with cruise and tourism in the islands.

In 2023 Orkney has more than 200 liners calling from 44 different cruise companies, making it the number one transit call location for cruise in the UK.

The new booking policy provides a more effective and efficient allocation of berths based on vessel prenotification, arrival and administrative compliances.

The policy sees vessels categorised by their passenger capacity from a Category 5 vessel (over 5000 passengers) to a Category 1 (under 500 passengers), with the intention being that the maximum TOTAL for Hatston Pier and Kirkwall Bay Anchorage should not exceed a category sum of 5.

The aim is to make the booking, anchoring and the management of passenger traffic a smooth and efficient process for cruise liner crews and the staff at Orkney Harbours – and improved management of supporting local infrastructure such as roads and tourist sites.

Councillor David Dawson is Chair of the Council’s Development and Infrastructure Committee. He said: “Orkney Harbours is the busiest port for transit passengers (day trips only) in the UK. Across the year we welcome up to 200,000 passengers and they are a vital part of our vibrant tourism industry which showcases Orkney and the beauty, history and significance of our islands.

“All cruise ships that currently call here in Orkney will continue to be able to do so. This policy has been developed by looking at models from other ports around the world so we can ensure we operate the best possible booking procedures which offer clear and transparent guidance to cruise operators and enhance the experience for passengers.

“This will allow the staff at our busiest locations to better manage the size and frequency of vessels anchoring here and also enable better management of supporting local infrastructure for our visitors and our resident communities.”

Councillors at the Harbour Authority Sub-committee recommended that the Cruise Booking and Confirmation Policy be approved for use by the Harbour Authority as the guiding policy for handling the bookings for cruise vessels wishing to call in Orkney. This requires to be ratified by Full Council.

It was further recommended that a report be submitted to the Development and Infrastructure Committee, covering the wider challenges in managing cruise, provision of services and infrastructure to support the cruise industry and funding through a potential passenger levy to which all Elected Members will be invited to attend.