MORE luxury liners, bringing more and more money-spinning, wealthy passengers to Dartmouth are set to boost the town's tourism economy.

In 2013, cruise ships have signed up to make a massive 20 visits to the port – half as many again as steamed in this year.

They included the 77,000 tonne Ocean Princess, with some 670 passengers on board, which will be cruising into the river Dart not once but twice next year – in August and September. And in May, the even larger £165m, 751ft-long Artania – which is so big she will have to anchor outside the river – will be turning up with her 500 crew and 1,230 passengers.

The increased number of cruise ships visiting next year add thousands of extra – often big-spending – visitors to the town.

And Dart Harbour deputy harbourmaster Nick Clarance revealed the port has become so popular that four cruise visit bookings are already in the pipeline for 2014.

'It really is brilliant,' said Nick. 'It is going to be a fantastic year for Dartmouth.'

He pointed out that often passengers are bussed out of the town to other tourism venues – especially to Totnes – while many Agatha Christie fans head off to Greenway and golfers often play a round at Dartmouth Golf and Country Club.

He said: 'They do get bussed out on certain trips but they also get to look around the town. A lot of trips here are relatively local compared to other ports where people are bussed out a long way. Here they don't go too far afield.'

Read more on this story in this week's Chronicle