Cruise tourism’s 30 years celebrated in video series
A new video series celebrating the 30th anniversary of the £26million cruise industry in Belfast has been launched.
Welcoming hundreds of thousands of international passengers each year and growing to become the largest transit cruise port in the UK and Ireland, Belfast's cruise industry has been an overwhelming success for the city and wider region.
That success reached a major milestone on 7th July, when Belfast Harbour welcomed its three millionth cruise passenger aboard Borealis, a 240-metre, ten passenger deck, Fred. Olsen vessel.
The series, which is a joint initiative by Visit Belfast and Belfast Harbour, features 30 people sharing personal accounts of the impact the cruise industry has had on their lives, their organisations and the city.
Among the voices featured are Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast, Joe O’Neill Chief Executive of Belfast Harbour and Linzi Rooney, Founder of Born & Bred.
The impact of a cruise call isn't confined to the docks; it ripples out through the city's independent shops, cafés and traders too, with everyone playing a part in its success.
The 30 Voices of Cruise series has been designed with two goals. To raise awareness of Belfast's credentials as a world class cruise destination and help residents understand cruise tourism as an industry that flows through the local economy and supports livelihoods across the region.
Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast said: “When you consider 30 years ago, we had one or two cruise ships and now this year we have 150 cruise ships and 300,000 people from over 120 countries.
“Cruise is a great example of the significant progress we have made economically, politically and as a society over the last 30 years.”
Joe O’Neill, CEO of Belfast Harbour said: “Cruise has been transformational for Belfast Harbour.
“It has been visible, tangible and understandable to people across Northern Ireland and has been a fantastic example of true partnership working by all involved, particular Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast.
“It has been an incredible journey over the last 30 years and the cruise industry is now central to everything we do from a tourism perspective.”
Linzi Rooney, Founder of Born said: "It's so important that we have cruise ships coming in. If there's not a cruise ship coming in, we really feel it in the store,” she says.
"It's so lovely that people want to visit our city, and it's so special to give them keepsakes and wee trinkets of Belfast. It's such a wonderful experience, chatting to them about our little quirks and sayings. It fills me with so much pride to send them off with a wee piece of Belfast on the ship."
Three decades after welcoming its first cruise call, Belfast is the largest single-transit cruise port in the UK and Ireland, a position built through sustained collaboration between Visit Belfast, Belfast Harbour, the wider tourism industry and the people of the city.
Popularity of Belfast as a destination has been recognised by being named Best Port of Call in the UK and Ireland in 2019 and 2024 by Cruise Critic and Destination of the Year at the 2025 Seatrade Cruise Awards. The 30 Voices of Cruise series can be viewed on Visit Belfast’s LinkedIn and cruisebelfast.com