POOLE Harbour could become a destination for visiting cruise ships.

The man in charge of the Poole Port is meeting cruise operators today to promote the town as an ideal stop-off and boarding place for seagoing passengers.

While giant ocean liners such as the QE2 would never be able to reach the port because of its shallow water, smaller ships carrying around 100-200 passengers could easily dock in the town.

The harbour has already proved it can handle ships as large as the 20,000-tonne Barfleur cross-channel ferry and has a good case for setting itself up as a mini-version of Southampton's lucrative cruise trade in the eyes of Tourism bosses.

Smaller cruise ships might ply routes between Poole and Norway, Germany, Holland, France, Spain and the Mediterranean.

Jim Stewart, chief executive of Poole Harbour Commissioners, believes the town and its harbour place it among the top contenders for expanding into the trade.

At a two-day Cruise UK conference in Kent this week Poole has thrown its hat into the ring to attract the floating holiday companies.

Mr Stewart said: "We have had occasional small cruise ships visit the harbour and we want to ramp it up a bit.

"It might be that the cruises could start at or end at Poole, or use it as a visiting stop.

"The cruise ship market is expanding fast. The smaller ships can get into the harbour and it is a growing niche market we'd like to tap into."

Mr Stewart feels Poole has a lot to offer cruise operators with the quay, new RNLI centre, Compton Acres, museums and the nearby Jurassic coastline among its attractions.

Kent Milne, of Canford Cliffs-based Select Cruising, said: "It's a tremendous idea.

"We have tried to get some of the smaller ships to come to Poole. We have one of the nicest harbours in the world."

His company has already enjoyed success with the 88-passenger Hebridean Spirit cruise ship taking holidaymakers from Poole to the Scilly Isles earlier this year.

And he believes ships such as the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind belonging to Silversea Cruises and the Seabourn Goddess I and II could be attracted to the port.

A spokeswoman for Silversea Cruises said the company tended to concentrate on London and Tilbury for its UK operation although it did occasionally send ships to the South Coast.

Bruce Grant-Braham, chairman of Poole Tourism Panel, said: "We are probably talking about vessels with 100 or so passengers and I would encourage this and I'm sure our tourism office would put together some kind of packages for holidaymakers and visitors.

"We won't be able to compete with Southampton, which I think is second only to Fort Lauderdale for cruise operations, but this could increase the profitability of the port and help the town."