We were really excited to hear about the plans for a top-end American cruise ship to visit Lyme Regis this May – a first for the town! 100 American tourists will arrive on 20th May on the Silver Explorer and spend a day in and around Lyme discovering our rich history and literary heritage, as well as learning about the Jurassic Coast.
The idea is to give the passengers of this first ever Lyme Regis cruise ship visitors an extra special welcome, with a party of ‘Lyme ambassadors’ planning to go on board and provide an introduction to the town, giving advice and answering any questions the passengers have before they disembark.
Once on dry land, the visitors will have the opportunity to go on a literary walk around the town, go on a fossil hunt or take a coach trip to Abbotsbury Swannery. So much here to do and only one day to do it, so hopefully they’ll go away eager to come back and spend some more time in Lyme Regis soon!
The visit of the Silver Explorer is part of the council’s strategy to turn Lyme Regis into a cruise ship hot spot and attract affluent new visitors from overseas who will help to boost the local economy. It is expected that this visit will generate as much as £20,000 for local businesses, which is absolutely fantastic in these straightened times.
Lyme Regis is also helping to boost its international profile by forming such strong links with Barfleur in France, with a view towards making an official twinning between these two historic towns. Plans are under way for a French/English food festival to celebrate our respective cuisines – think cheeses, pate and of course lots of wines to sample!
We all know how fantastic Lyme Regis is, and it feels like the rest of the world is finally waking up to its charms too. Hopefully this summer goes well and we see lots more visitors from overseas discovering the pleasures of a
Lyme Regis holiday in the coming years.