An English port city famous for its maritime heritage and medieval architecture is set to receive a huge cash injection of £2.5m per cruise ship. P&O Cruises, a British cruise line based at Carnival House in Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK (CUK) and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, is set to contribute two and half billion to the UK economy over the next five years.

According to a CUK economic impact report a turnaround of a CUK ship in Southampton adds a whopping £1.9million to the economy rising to £2.5million for “larger ships”. The study was completed by an independent company. Across all ship sizes in CUK’s eight brands, turnarounds in Southampton contribute a whopping £505million annually.

CUK, the world’s largest leisure company, is a major employer in the vibrant city with the business having 1,650 full time employees in the firm’s Southampton headquarters, contributing £351million alone to the local economy in direct gross value added.

This makes CUK the biggest private-sector employer in Southampton.

Over the next five years, the combined value to the UK economy is projected to exceed £2.5billion.

Southampton, often dubbed the ‘Cruise Capital of Europe’ is an established cruise hub, supporting 85% of the UK cruise market.

It’s a leading turnaround port, meaning many passengers begin or end their cruises there, meaning for many cruise goers it is their first touching point in the UK.

Southampton handles over 500 ship calls and two million passengers annually. In May alone, the port welcome 26 cruise ships with a total of 71 calls and over 400,000 guests, according to Associated British Ports. 

Paul Ludlow, president of CUK and P&O Cruises called the growth of the cruise industry a “tremendous growth story”.

He said: “Southampton has grown with us over the years.

“As this industry has grown larger and larger, so has the infrastructure of Southampton.

“We’ve seen transport systems and suppliers in the region grow as we’ve grown, and I think we have this relationship in the city where we understand one another.”