This Cornish harbour has beaten Abu Dhabi to be named Destination of the Year for cruise ships

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The pretty Cornish harbour town of Fowey fought off stiff competition at last week’s Seatrade Cruise Awards 2024 to be awarded Destination of the Year.

The award was presented to Kate O’Hara, Fowey Harbour’s head of cruise, at the event in Malaga on Wednesday 11 September. Seatrade Cruise Awards praised Fowey Harbour – which pipped Abu Dhabi and Kingston, in Canada, to the post – for its “community spirit and unique excursion offerings”.

“​I’m so delighted to have accepted this prestigious award on behalf of the destination, and the Fowey Harbour team. It’s wonderful that the collaborative work, which has taken place to provide a warm welcome for cruise passengers to our beautiful destination, has been recognised, said Ms O’Hara told The Independent.

Celebrated for its cobbled streets, maritime heritage and coastal boutiques, Fowey is fast becoming a popular port of call for cruises, with approximately 15 cruise ships docking at Fowey Harbour each year.

Whether it’s picking up a Cornish pasty or traversing a local coastal walk, passengers have a range of enticing options to tempt them off-shore, with the Eden Project, Lost Gardens of Heligan and Bodmin Jail all nearby. Foodies can also enjoy ‘plough to bottle’ vodka and gin distillery tours with local producer, Colwith Farm Distillery.

Captain Paul Thomas, Fowey’s harbourmaster and chief executive, said: “Passengers coming ashore not only bring direct financial benefit to the town by purchasing souvenirs and local fare, but to the wider area of South East Cornwall through the services they use, such as local tour guides and taxi operators.

“The town also sees increased footfall from locals and tourists who come to see the spectacle of the cruise ships moored in the harbour, and this brings further financial benefits to the community.”

Cruise ships stopping in Fowey Harbour include Saga’s Spirit of Adventure, a 554-cabin vessel launched in 2021 which visited September 2023.

Weighing 60,000 tonnes, it’s the biggest ship to have called at Fowey to date, although the steep-sided valley that forms the harbour does physically limit the size of ships that can enter the port, creating an “air of exclusivity,” says Mr Thomas.