The arrival of Cunard’s liner Queen Elizabeth in Belfast (Northern Ireland) on Thursday, October 7, marked a major milestone for the city and the port, welcoming the 1000th cruise ship call.
Belfast Harbour restarted cruise shipping in June 2021, with UK-only itineraries and, to date, the arrival of Queen Elizabeth is the 66th cruise ship call this year.
The Port's Director Michael Robinson said that celebrating the arrival of their 1000th cruise ship call to Belfast Harbour was "a milestone event, not least for all of the partners who work in close together to sustain and grow local cruise tourism."
"As hospitality and tourism rebuild after an exceptionally challenging period, I have no doubt that those cruise visitors arriving on today’s 1000th vessel will have received Belfast’s customary warm welcome.”
Before the Coronavirus crisis, 2019 was the cruise port's record year, with 146 ship calls and ~285,000 tourists.
Cunard's Queen Elizabeth docked in Belfast for the first time in October 2010 when she was christened in an official ceremony by HM The Queen.