The Isle of Man is to welcome cruise passengers and generate around £1.7m to the island's economy in what will be a record year in the number of ships calling.

The Manx Government's Department for Enterprise says it's expecting 18,000 visitors to come ashore from 59 cruise liners this summer, with the first passengers arriving on the Hurtigruten's 'Spitsbergen' this Sunday.

With almost 60 ships booked to visit the Island in 2023, it's set to be a record year for the sector and surpasses the previous record of 47 ships which visited in 2019.

The Non-executive chair of Visit Isle of Man, Ranald Caldwell, explained on Manx Radio on what the industry brings to the Island. Click the link to listen to an audio-piece.

For a list of cruise calls is available here to download.

Of the callers, Afloat adds that Holland America Lines Nieuw Statendam which is due in August, will be the largest visitor, carrying approximately 2,660 passengers and 1,025 crew.

The Isle of Man has six locations where cruise ships this season will make a call by visiting a port or take anchorage with passengers tendered ashore.

The six locations are Douglas Harbour, Douglas Bay, Peel, Peel Bay, Port St. Mary and the Calf of Man, an island off the south-west coast.