Katherine Brook
THE Wind Surf cruise ship glided majestically into port on the Rock for a short day trip, the first cruise to dock in Gibraltar since the start of the pandemic.
The world’s largest sailing cruise ship, a five-mast staysail schooner, arrived at 8am on Friday, August 13 and passengers were given 10 hours to explore Gibraltar before continuing with the cruise.
As the first cruise ship to stop in the country since the pandemic, Minister for Tourism, Vijay Daryanani greeted the captain and was given a short tour of the boat.
“I am delighted to see the return of cruising to Gibraltar. I hope this is the first of many visits to our Rock,” said Daryanani.
“The cruising industry worldwide has suffered immensely over the last eighteen months and our businesses have missed these calls tremendously.
“The Government is committed to increasing cruise calls to our port. Throughout the pandemic we have been in constant communication with all cruise operators, but I want to take this one step further by engaging with them in person when travel allows.
“As the major cruise companies start working on their itineraries for 2023 and 2024, Gibraltar’s aim is to be at the forefront of their plans.”
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