Plans for a five star cruise liner to come to Liverpool in 2013 are under way.
The ‘Celebrity Infinity’ is set to give a huge boost to the economy.
The boat, with a 2,170 passenger capacity, is set to make its maiden call on May 1 which will be the first of four round-Britain cruises starting in Harwich.
Liverpool will be a featured city on a UK voyage on September 1, 2013 and this will be the first time passengers will be allowed to embark and disembark.
It will be the next step for Liverpool Waters since the ‘Ocean Countess’ led the first turnaround cruise in Liverpool on May 29th earlier this year.
Wendy Simon, Liverpool council’s cabinet member for Culture & Tourism, said: “I think the passenger numbers it will have and the tourism it will bring into the city will benefit Liverpool. Also people spreading the word about what a great city Liverpool is.
“We’re looking at developing the cruise liner terminal and having a permanent base. That’s about building up the tour operators.
“There’s a huge application that’s gone through the council. There’s a massive development plan which will take place over the next 40 years if the plans are approved.”
The current temporary terminal is situated on the private Peel Holdings Estate with limited space to expand. The cruise terminal steering group will be producing a recommendation to the council within the next few weeks on how to best develop the terminal in a long term sense.
The temporary terminal has so far stood for a year, with two years left. The terminal can only handle 1,200 passengers, so developments would be essential to accommodate larger passenger ships.
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