It’s 9am on a Monday and a thunder clap greets the first cruise ship passengers of the day arriving in Inverness. Another busy morning starts to unfold as visitors unload from coaches that have driven them from their docking point in Invergordon. There to greet them are Janice Worthing and Aizak McIver, two of the They have seen the numbers of tourists coming into the city grow significantly in recent years.
How does Inverness benefit from cruise ship passengers? Bid says 3,804 coaches used the drop off/pick up facility in Ardross Street last year. They brought 171,180 people into the Highland capital – more than two and a half times its population. Nearly 1,700 of these vehicles brought cruise ship passengers, the rest coming on coach trips.
Already this year numbers have risen 15% on 2023, with up to 67 coaches due in one day. So why do visitors want to come to Inverness? And, more importantly, what do they think once they have been here? The Press and Journal spent a day with Janice and Aizak to find out. By the time more coaches arrive at 10am the rain is torrential.
Umbrellas are sourced to hand out with maps as passengers disembark beside Inverness Cathedral. Some head for the cover of the cathedral tea room, but others make straight for the city centre. Honeymoon visit delayed 32 years Kathleen and Jim Nave, from Connecticut, are the among the first group of the day.
They are looking forward to visiting Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle and buying whisky. “We wanted to co.