AIDAsol closes record summer cruise season in Lewis
Stornoway Port expects to finish the year with 86 cruise calls and more than 70,000 passengers, with further growth forecast for the following year.
AIDAsol’s departure from Lewis marked the end of the summer cruise season, as the ship was the final scheduled vessel to include the island on its itinerary that year. Carrying close to 2,000 passengers, AIDAsol berthed at the Arnish terminal and was among the larger ships received there in recent months, though not the largest.
The port welcomed 86 cruise ships during the season despite poor summer weather, with four calls cancelled because of conditions. Stornoway Port cruise and marketing manager Kirsty Hutchison said the year would conclude with 86 calls and just over 70,000 passengers, significantly exceeding previous annual totals. She attributed the increase to growth since the terminal opened.
Hutchison said the port recorded 50,500 passengers in the previous year. Average passenger spending was estimated at about £68, excluding pre-booked tours and port fees, producing a calculated direct contribution of roughly £3 million to the town. Further expansion is expected in the following year, when 99 vessels are booked to visit Stornoway and passenger numbers are forecast to exceed 100,000.