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Wales sees surge in cruise ship visits

By Mark Mansfield
Viking Venus in Holyhead

The number of cruise ships visiting Wales has more than doubled in just four years.

In 2025, a total of 84 cruise ships visited Welsh ports, up from 41 in 2021. The Welsh Government described the increase as a sign of growing international recognition, with the country offering a mix of “authentic experiences, rich heritage and stunning landscapes” that appeal to global travellers.

Cruise operators and passengers can access five key ports: Cardiff, Swansea, Milford Haven, Fishguard and Holyhead. Each provides links to popular cultural and natural attractions.

Holyhead in Anglesey remains the busiest cruise gateway, handling 55 of the 84 vessels in 2025. Its facilities can berth ships up to 300 metres long, while an anchorage system allows larger vessels to transfer passengers ashore by tender.

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Highlight

Cruise operator Viking UK said demand for north Wales was growing rapidly. Managing Director Wendy Atkin-Smith described Holyhead as a highlight of the company’s British Isles voyages.

“Our guests love exploring the area – from visiting Roman forts and Gwydir Castle to sampling Anglesey’s food and taking scenic hikes in Snowdonia,” she said. “We are scheduled to call at Holyhead 25 times next year, an increase of nearly 40% from 2025, bringing many more travellers to explore the region in 2026.”

Tourism already contributes £3.8 billion a year to the Welsh economy, supporting thousands of jobs in hospitality and related industries.

Ministers say the cruise sector provides an additional boost by spreading visitors – and their spending – to coastal communities.

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Success story

Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, welcomed the increase in cruise ship visits as a major success story.

“This remarkable growth in cruise visits demonstrates our rising profile as a premier destination,” she said. “I’m delighted that our ports are welcoming increasing numbers of international visitors who bring vital investment to our local communities.

“Wales offers an extraordinary blend of landscapes, heritage and vibrant communities, all delivered with our renowned Welsh croeso. This growth trajectory positions us perfectly for an even brighter future for the cruise sector here.”

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10 comments

andy w

In 1990s the Valpariso, Chile - Montevideo, Uruguay cruise ships that mainly targeted USA tourists stopped in Falkland Islands. Today they stop in Puerto Madryn, Patagonia and visitors enjoy nature tours, an eco-tourism center and visit the Welsh speaking communities and tea rooms. We must not be over-reliant on tourism, particularly if summer only (then staff on Universal Credit the remainder of the year) / too many international visitors who do not travel in recessions. Personally I would like to see another Bluestone village / resort in North Wales that is open 52 weeks a year and the centre of Llandudno to have no cars and a roof added - so the town can attract visitors 52 weeks per year.

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CapM

There are lots of websites that go into detail explaining why cruises are bad for the environment, the wellbeing of locals who live at the destinations, costs to taxpayers, etc, even for cruise passengers themselves. There are even a few websites run by the cruise industry that bother to try and counter these criticisms and facts. However one of the anti cruise arguments they don't even attempt to address is the short time that passengers actually spend off the ships. Typically a cruise ship will arrive [at for example Caergybi] in the morning, after breakfast passengers disembark and then re embark about four pm in time for tea. It's just not enough time to extract sufficient money from cruise passengers to make a decent profit after all the costs to the destination are taken into account. “Wales offers an extraordinary blend of landscapes, heritage and vibrant communities, all delivered with our renowned Welsh croeso. This growth trajectory positions us perfectly for an even brighter future for the cruise sector here.” Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning,  but it sounds like Rebecca Evans, Publicity Manager for the Cruise Industry

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andy w

Good points. Some boat trips for tourists also support regional economies. If you travel on the Norway in a Nutshell trip from either Bergen or Oslo, you travel on rail / boats that are running year round and link islands / towns in that region. The last thing we want is lots of cruise ships June to August only in one port. Switzerland moved away from seasonal tourism in 1990s, when Geneva region was relaunched as a year round destination with a base of easyJet Switzerland and a focus on low and middle income tourists - more likely to keep travelling in a recession / plus benefits from wealthier tourists visiting that region instead of USA during a recession.

Reply
Bertie

The direct benefits are probably minimal as most won't be inclined to spend money as they've already paid for everything, or buy stuff they don't have room for, but they should be seen as a "taster" opportunity to market a destination for future visits. With social media this is broader than ever as someone with a few nice pics on their 90 minute bus tour of Wales will share them with a new audience who may decide to include Wales in their upcoming European tour.

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CapM

What's the evidence to back this up? 'Ifs' aren't evidence. .

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In reply to CapM

Bertie

If it works for supermarkets handing out free samples it works for holiday destinations.

Reply

In reply to Bertie

CapM

Does it now. And the evidence for that approach working for the very different cruise liner business is...... The cruise industry spends huge amounts on promoting it's product which is the cruise experience which would dwarf any word of mouth 'taster' effect for destinations. If anything the most likely 'taster' effect would be to promote taking further cruise holidays and be the convincing of new customers to take cruise holidays.

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stp

CapM, The passengers may or may not spend much in local shops and cafes, but I think you are overlooking several other ways in which the cruise industry puts money into local businesses. Firstly, the ship pays a significant fee to the port to berth for the day, and will also pay for a pilot and possibly tugs. Secondly, albeit not at every port on the journey, the ship will pay for other local services - bunker fuel, offloading waste, restocking food & drink etc. Thirdly, many of the passengers will be booked on locally-operated excursions to local attractions. As you can see money flows in many ways from ship to shore.

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CapM

Apart from the berth, pilot and tug boat fees the wider economic benefits you mention could be gained by having a holiday camp operating year round. Such a Pontins/Butlins facility brings it's own problems of course but with potentially more gains for less costs borne by the public. I sometimes wonder if the cruise industry would have been so successful in garnering support from politicians, decision makers and myriad influencers if they didn't have 'fact finding' cruises to offer rather than 'fact finding' breaks in Butlins Bognor Regis.

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Felicity

Good luck Fishguard! Our over-dependancy on tourism masks the lack of good well paid jobs by people who actually make things.

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There are lots of websites that go into detail explaining why cruises are bad for the environment, the wellbeing of locals who live at the destinations, costs to taxpayers, etc, even for cruise passengers themselves. There are even a few...

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