More cruise ships than ever expected at Portland Port despite arrival of refugee barge
Portland Port says it's looking forward to its busiest spring and summer in a decade
It’s “business as usual” for Portland Port as two ships with nearly 1,700 passengers recently arrived.
The Port will operate as normal throughout the upcoming season as they prepare to bring in a record number of passengers to south Dorset this year.
Portland is expecting to bring in 130,000 visitors this year which is a 23% increase over last year and the highest number of passengers the port has greeted in a decade.
This is despite port officials working with the Home Office and local agencies in preparation for the arrival of an accommodation barge for refugees.
Bill Reeves promises to minimise the impact the barge has on local public services but also says it’s important for the Port to support the Home Office and “play a part in the national housing effort of thousands of refugees in need of accommodation.”
Cllr Paul Kimber, portfolio holder of tourism on Portland, shared his concerns.
He said: “The barge has been thrust upon the people of Weymouth and Portland and we're ill-prepared for 500 asylum seekers, but I think that's a separate issue to people visiting. Now that doesn't mean we're not working at this.”
Residents also raised their concerns online… They speculated that the refugee barge could and would deter people from visiting Portland in the future to which Cllr Kimber responded: “Only time will tell but it’s something we've got to consider.”
He told us: “I hope it doesn’t, but we’ll have to deal with that challenge as it presents itself.”
According to the Port, cruise liners contribute £10million to the local economy every year as well as provide work for more than 250 people.
Cllr Kimber says the £10million the cruises generate is “badly needed” for Portland's economy.
Officials reported that nearly 80% of passengers who visited earlier this week went on excursions around Dorset via the Port’s shuttle bus service, with the remainder going further afield.
Bill Reeves said: “Some passengers went on trips to Stonehenge or Salisbury, the majority went on organised excursions in the south Dorset area or stayed in the local area.”
In the next few years, the Port also hopes to expand as a new berth development project gets underway in the following weeks. Mr Reeves hopes: “The additional berth will further allow us to grow our capacity.”