VOLUNTEERS who have helped more than 150,000 cruise passengers explore Inverclyde this year say the season has been one of their busiest ever. 

Members of Inverclyde Tourist Group have been stationed at their new base in Greenock's £20m Ocean Terminal since June. 

The band of helpers have welcomed a total of 89 ships onto our shores during 2023 - which is 25 per cent more than in 2022.

Greenock Telegraph:
As Greenock welcomed its last liner of the season - the Pacific World Peace Boat - on Tuesday, ITG chairperson Cecile Fleming spoke to the Tele about the season coming to an end for another year and plans for the future.

Cecile said: "It's always sad when the last boat departs but we've had a fantastic time this year. 

"It's been a really busy season and very successful in a lot of different ways. 

"This is our 22nd year as a group and it's been fantastic."

At the start of the 2023 season, members of the tourist group were still welcoming passengers from their base at the Waterfront Cinema and Club 3000 bingo in Container Way. 

Their first day in the new terminal was on June 5 when one of the world's largest cruise liners - the 330m-long MSC Virtuosa - arrived in Greenock.

Greenock Telegraph:
Cecile says every one of the 68 tourist group volunteers has the same goal in mind - to try and keep cruise passengers in Inverclyde. 

She added: "Meeting people from all over the world is definitely the best part of the job and we all love telling them about the area. 

"We all learn more about where we live in this role too. 

"We want to keep passengers in Inverclyde whenever we can. 

"There's so much to see and do here and so much history and heritage to explore. 

"We get great feedback from people. 

"They come back to us when they're going back onto the ship and tell us how much our information helped them."

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Cecile says over the last 22 years, Inverclyde Tourist Group has forged strong links with organisations across Inverclyde. 

The tourist group works closely with the fire museum and churches in the area, and is also in contact with the team at Custom House and Peel Ports. 

There's always a tourist group information desk set up in the Oak Mall too. 

READ MORE: Greenock welcomes last cruise ship of 2023

Cecile says making these connections helps provided passengers with all the information they need. 

The dedicated chairperson is looking forward to another successful April to October season next year. 

Cecile added: "We all enjoy co-ordinating with people to help passengers get the information they're looking for. 

"We'll be having meeting with Peel Ports before the next season starts to see how we can make the experience of arriving in Inverclyde even better for everyone."