Mr Quayle told a standing committee of Tynwald that proposals for a £20 million berth, first put forward in 2006, were 'no longer viable' as tax receipts from visitors had been decimated.

He told the committee 10,000 cruise ship visitors were expected this year, but it would take three times as many just to generate the expected annual maintenance costs of a berth.

Asked by committee chief Steve Rodan MHK if the idea was a 'dead duck', Mr Quayle said: 'It is with the revised tax arrangements. A deep water berth is not a realistic proposition.

'But my department is still committed to increasing the number of visitors from cruise ships and increasing the opportunities for them in the Island.

'There is no doubt passengers will get a flavour for the Island and come back. Some cruise ships are already making repeat visits, so we are seeing the benefits there.'

However, Treasury economic adviser Steve Carse revealed the minister's tax figures related to all day-trippers and no research had been carried out focusing on cruise ship visitors.

Mr Carse accepted cruise ship visitors could spend much more, but added: 'Any economic appraisal of this sort is laden with assumptions of the benefits to the local economy.'

The Island's coastline offers no natural deep water berths and proposals were put forward for a man-made structure to take advantage of a boom in the cruise holiday industry.

At the time, the Island's customs sharing deal with the UK meant every visitor generated £50 in direct tax for the Manx Treasury plus indirect tax from the money they spent here.

But changes three years ago slashed the combined direct and indirect tax made from visitors — based on average day-trip spending of £69 per person — down to as little as £5.

At that rate, Mr Quayle said, it would take 30,000 cruise ship visitors to cover a deep water berth's anticipated annual maintenance costs of £150,000.

'Without a significant increase in passengers, the period it would take to recoup the cost of a deep water berth would be very lengthy indeed,' he added.

Twelve cruise ships are expected to visit the Island this summer, half the pleasure liners operating in the Irish Sea. Around half of their passengers and crew will come ashore.

The committee heard that, although the Department of Tourism and Leisure had advertised with 150 cruise holiday bookers, most growth in the industry was for Caribbean holidays.

Rod Nipper, director of tourism at the DTL, said there was limited scope to attract more ships as those used for Caribbean journeys were not designed to sail in the Irish Sea.

He said: 'We have to spend in the most effective way.

'If we can tempt more people ashore from those ships already calling at the Island, and get more money from them, then that is the way to proceed.'

Mr Carse told the committee £69 was the typical spend of a day visitor arriving by boat, according to passenger surveys from 2008.

He said: 'There's an element of broad brush about it. You cannot get detailed information without questioning everyone.

'We would need to ask cruise ship visitors what they have spent their money on, but that has not happened. It never got to a stage where we were asked to do a full assessment.'

Mr Carse was asked whether this made the argument against a deep water berth a 'stab in the dark'.

He replied: 'The DTL's figures would not have allowed for the net income from cruise ship passengers through the use of government-run tourist facilities.

'But you have to offset that against the cost to the government of providing those services.'

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Send your comments to newsviews@newsiom.co.im

YOUR COMMENTS

Would it not be feasible to regenerate the pier in Ramsey to allow for mooring and disembarkation for the proposed £5 million as a suitable place for the cruise ships to stop? Or is this another case of if it can't be done in Douglas we won't consider any alternatives.
ANON

Ramsey had a deep water berth until the berthing head was removed in the 1990s. It would make a great attraction for cruise ships if they could land their passengers on the end of the pier and have them transported to their waiting coaches by the old pier railway fully restored. It is one of the few remaining long piers in the British Isles – it would be criminal to let it decline again.
LIZ

To ANON - Unfortunately, even if the Ramsey Pier was fully restored, it would never be strong enough to berth a cruise ship alongside, the Steam Packet ships were about as big as the pier could safely support, even when it was in a good state of repair. The cast iron structure would just not support a 20.000 ton (plus) cruise ship giving it a gentle nudge. With the size of modern cruise ships, the only safe structure would have to be stone, concrete or steel.
THE ANCIENT MARINER

Perhaps they could berth at the end of the new runway extention?
Yo ho,
CAPTAIN PUGWASH

Ancient Mariner has been at sea too long. "A cruise ship needs Concrete, Stone or Steel." Queen's Pier, last time I looked was made of Cast and Wrought Iron all internally braced. It has been there since long before Ancient Mariner tangled with the Albatross. When hit by a ship some years back one of the legs sustained a mild ding. You can still see it. The berthing head is of concrete, they tried to shift it years ago but it would not go. So two out of the three he suggests are already there. What is lacking is the vision of those involved in Douglas to peek around the corner north of Onchan Head.
FRED HODGSON, Chairman - Friends of Queens Pier.

Fred, if it can be proved that the pier could stand being used by cruise ships then it is a no-brainer. Visitors landing in Ramsey and choosing where to visit on the island from there. I have a feeling however, that money would need to be invested in the town centre to tidy that up a bit. You are correct in your thoughts though. Calamity Quayle and his gang seem to think life begins and ends in Douglas.
PEEJAY