Tourisme et attractivité
To strengthen the attractiveness of the port of Le Havre on the European cruise market and to support the strong development of passenger traffic expected in the coming years, the Le Havre Seine Métropole urban community and HAROPA PORT wished to engage in an ambitious development of the cruise terminals at the Pointe de Floride around 3 development axes.
The collective memory of the inhabitants of the Urban Community is imbued with images of majestic ships creating the link with America. The mythical era of the “French Line” has been followed by the boom in cruise activities from which Le Havre Seine Métropole benefited just as much.
Since the beginning of the 2010s, and excluding exceptional events, the increase in the number of cruise ship calls reflects the growing attractiveness of Le Havre as a port of call and now a port of embarkation. In 2019, 131 maritime calls and 130 river calls made it possible to welcome more than 370,000 passengers as a whole on our territory, not counting the 120,000 crew members (for maritime activity alone). Many assets contribute to this trend, which this trend which should increase.
Ideally located on the passage between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the port of Le Havre offers all the facilities to accommodate ships 24 hours a day, including the largest cruise ships in service or planned.
The diversity of the tourist offer makes it possible to attract visitors, by offering appealing excursion opportunities for cruise passengers. Propelled to the top of cruise destinations in Northern Europe by its positioning as Gateway to Paris and by the international impact of the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the city and the port in 2017, the territory of the Urban Community also attracts cruise passengers by its own assets:
Le Havre Seine Métropole wishes, through its policy of investment and support for cruise tourism, to anchor Le Havre more deeply as an essential stopover for cruises in Northern Europe, as a transit call but also as a homeport.
The worldwide reputation of Le Havre is based on 120 years of experience in embarking passengers on transatlantic lines to New York. The investments made to develop cruise infrastructures confirm the choice of Le Havre as a homeport. The Cruise Terminal located in Pointe de Floride has all the equipment allowing an optimized reception of passengers in transit or turnaround as well as crew members:
This context, which is already conducive to attracting cruise lines, continues to be expanded with new services in favor of the environment: electrification of docking quays allowing river and maritime vessels calling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or still refueling liquefied natural gas for cruise ships and cargo ships.
Le Havre Cruise Club, created in 2012, brings together the various institutional and professional partners involved in the development of the maritime and river cruise activity. The vocation of the Cruise Club is to improve the reception of cruise passengers and to develop the economic impact of the cruise sector, in addition to the missions of the GIP Le Havre Croisières, responsible for coordinating its activity.