Chaired by Paul Sweeney, the Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Maritime and Shipbuilding, MSPs heard from Chamber members Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Noble Caledonia about the cruise programmes in Scotland, engagement with local communities, plans to further reduce their carbon emissions, and ongoing efforts to increase sustainability.

Attending on behalf of the Chamber was Communications Director Tom Bartošák-Harlow, who highlighted to MSPs the importance of looking at cruise policy in Scotland, including the proposed cruise levy, as a package rather than as isolated policy decisions. 

Commenting after the roundtable, he said:

Today was an excellent opportunity for MSPs to hear from the entire cruise industry in Scotland and it was pleasing to see the roundtable so well attended. With over one million visitors to Scotland by cruise in 2023 it is a crucial part of Scotland’s tourism economy.

Cruise is always mindful of the impact visits can have on local communities and it’s vital that we continue to work together to ensure that as we grow the cruise industry in Scotland we do so in a sustainable manner. The Chamber will continue to work with our members and industry partners to ensure that decisions made by the Scottish Government around cruise follow this principle.

The Chamber will be building on the roundtable with a series of planned site visits for MSPs this summer to cruise ships calling in Scotland.