Businesses suffer as cruise ships pass by La Rochelle

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The local stakeholder group" l'Escale Atlantique" have revealed that since the beginning of 2008, only 6 of the planned 27 cruise ships actually berthed at the port of Pallice in La Rochelle.  The result is that only 4,746 passengers instead of an estimated 30,600 stepped off the boat to spend money in the town. 

L'Escale Atlantique is a committee of local industry, the Port Authority, the association of communes, the Conseil General and the Maritime Union, set up with an objective of supporting cruise liners and their passengers.  Jean-François Billion, president of the association declared that "this should have been our best year, but finally it is a catastrophy."

21 of the planned cruises had already been cancelled due to various ‘social conflicts' that blocked access to the port, and the association have been unable to give any assurances to the cruise companies for the future.  Many of the companies did not want to take the risk of disruption, and so diverted to other ports such as Bordeaux or Rouen.  Even the QE2 gave up its last planned visit on 25 August, although the Port Authority is hopeful that a final visit of the QE2 will be made on 25 October, before she is finally sold.  The port had also expected to greet its first boat with a capacity of over 3000 passengers, the Ventura, back in May.

The programme for 2009 is already in doubt, as cruise companies do not want to agree anything without assurances over access, and Mr Billion believes that all of the associations hard work in wooing cruise companies has gone to waste.  Whilst there is an estimated 800,000€ loss to local traders as a result of cancelled cruise visits, the losses extend further to transport companies, tourist offices (who recruited guides), cognac houses and more.