WHEN it comes to the history of cruise ships, few port towns have more claim to fame than the Northern Irish capital.
Alongside its famed whiskey offerings and tours of civil-war-torn neighbourhoods, Belfast is known for its historic shipyards where the infamous Titanic was built and from where it first set sail. “She was fine when she left us,” is a phrase often said by locals of the doomed cruiser.
But now the city wants a bigger stake in the cruise industry than a museum dedicated to the catastrophic failure of the Titanic. Belfast Harbour has opened a new terminal for cruise ships with its own visitor centre.
The opening comes as Belfast marks growing tourist numbers. The city is set to be port of call for some 285,000 passengers across 148 cruises this year, Belfast Harbour officials say, noting an increase of 31 per cent since last year. – dpa
