PORTLAND is set to welcome the biggest cruise ship ever seen at the port as another successful season comes to a close.

The 93,000 tonne, 294 metre long Costa Luminosa will sail into Portland Port on Sunday, bringing up to 2,500 passengers to our shores.

Commercial general manager of Portland Port Ian McQuade said by the end of the cruise ship season later this month, they will have welcomed 27,000 passengers, bringing an estimated boost of more than £1m to Dorset’s economy.

And there could be even better news for the future.

Mr McQuade said: “We are expecting next year to be down, although there doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for that, just ships being redeployed to places. It’s too early to tell for 2017 but looking longer term we hope to grow and expand.

“Our berths have stood us in good stead but ships are getting bigger and it’s important we have the ability to handle that. Our board have just approved an expansion to our main cruise berth which will allow us to welcome ships up to 330m long.”

According to industry body Cruise Lines International Association the average spend per passenger on a day visit is €62 while crew members spend €23. That means visitors have spent around €1.5m (£1.1m) this year alone.

Mr McQuade said: “That’s a fairly substantial amount of revenue coming into the local economy.”

Cruise ship spotters can be sure of plenty more vessels coming into the port before the season ends.

The 90,000 tonne cruise liner Brilliance of the Seas will sail in on Saturday. And the Norwegian Star will berth on September 27, the last ship of the season.

The cruise ships have brought passengers from around the world to Weymouth and Portland.

Mr McQuade said: “Most of the ships are German or American, which reflects the market globally, but this doesn’t mean all of the passengers are from these countries. There’s a great mix – people from Brazil, Norway, lots of different nationalities.

“The record for the most passengers on one ship is 2,500 which was the Aida Stella last year. That’s the target we’ll be looking to beat with the Costa Luminosa. She could be a record breaker for us.”