Cruise ship passengers to go on Valleys excursions

  • Wales
The Guardian memorial at Six Bells Abertillery. Credit: visitwales.com

A Valleys tourist attraction is set to see an influx of new visitors over the coming year – of passengers disembarking from cruise ships.

Boats touring the UK coast are now venturing further afield than just the areas they dock in and Abertillery’s Guardian miners’ memorial has been placed on itineraries.

Guardian, a 20-metre-tall statue to commemorate the Six Bells colliery disaster, is on the doorstep of Ty Ebbw Fach, a community café and heritage room.

At Ty Ebbw Fach, visitors can watch two short films showing how the sculpture was fabricated in sections and the huge task of assemblingit on site.

Cruise calls to Wales are up 43% in the past three years. This year Wales is set to host 42 calls.

In 2016, Cruise Wales - supported by the Welsh Government to cater for cruise tourists- is organising a number of new attractions for passengers.

Links will also be made with other attractions such as Big Pit, Blaenavon and Bedwellty House, Tredegar.