NEWLYN residents and businesses could be given a boost with plans to bring hundreds of visitors to the area.
A French cruise ship looks set to make several scheduled stops in the port over the summer, dropping off up to 1,600 tourists for a day in west Penwith.
As well as earning the harbour authorities some £7,000, it would also be great news for Newlyn shopkeepers.
Harbour master Andrew Munson, who has been liaising with the cruise company, hopes the liner will call at the port eight times, each time with some 200 passengers on board.
He said some of the visitors, who would arrive at 8am and leave at 5pm, would be taking part in tours of the area, but it is hoped others will remain in the vicinity of Newlyn.
"Following negotiations with one of the cruise lines, I am very hopeful that we will have passengers landed regularly at Newlyn this year," he told a meeting of the harbour commission last week.
"When we put the pontoon in, one was specifically made a little bit larger than the others to accommodate cruise line members."
There is also a crane which can be used to lift disabled passengers ashore, he added.
Newlyn's port security plan has to be approved by government officials before the cruises can begin later this year.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN