BOAT tours of Portland harbour and a gala dinner have been added to the itinerary of a major cruise forum to be held in Dorset.

Delegates will see facilities at Portland Port as part of the conference on April 25 and 26.

A gala dinner at Minterne House, the historic Dorset home of the Digby family, has also been added to the itinerary.

Delegates will attend the third Seatrade Cruise Forum at venues in Poole and at Portland.

The conference activities will be centred on the RNLI headquarters at Poole, with a reception on the first evening at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The dinner will be held on the following night at Minterne House.

Regional produce, including wines and cider, will be promoted at these events.

The boat tours aim to provide a chance for American and European visitors to enjoy the beauties of the Jurassic Coast and view the facilities available for cruise ships at the two ports.

John Healy, Portland Port's general manager for business development, said Portland's deep water and easy access enabled it to handle big cruise ships.

He said its well-protected harbour had already demonstrated its availability when other ports were closed by weather.

Mr Healy claimed the Olympics were already sparking interest among cruise ship operators.

He said road and rail improvements would enhance the port's role as a turnaround centre for passengers travelling through London's airports.

Portland has already built an extension to its Britannia passenger terminal.

The cruise forum will bring together top executives of the leading international cruise shipping companies to meet representatives from the UK, Irish and French Channel ports, councils, tourism and economic development organisations and visitor attractions.

The ship owners will explain what they want for their vessels and their passengers, and how they see the market developing.

The programme is being co-ordinated by Destination South West (DSW), the regional cruise marketing group. Other hosts are Portland, the county council, the Borough of Poole and the South West of England Regional Development Agency.

The forum has the backing of Visit Britain, Cruise UK and South West Tourism. Destination South West (DSW) is an alliance of 10 ports throughout the South West of England.