Cruise numbers in Scotland to reach half a million

Cruise passengers arriving in Scotland this year are set to top over 500,000 for the first time following another record-breaking season in 2015 when 460,546 visitors sailed into ports around the country.

Scotland is set to have record numbers of cruises into its ports this year Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Numbers increased for the sixth successive year – by 14.8 per cent on 2014 – while cruise ship visits rose 9.6 per cent to 501 calls, generating an estimated £54.6 million for the economy through passenger spend alone, up by around £5.5m on the previous year.

A number of ports recorded their best cruise seasons in 2015, with Greenock Ocean Terminal the first Scottish port to welcome over 100,000 passengers in a season, at 108,866, and Kirkwall exceeding previous records, with 81,401 passengers.