IT is boom time for British ports, according to cruise ship figures.

More than 100 cruise ships visited British ports in 2013, with a record 866,000 passengers disembarking on day trips, 20% more than in 2012.

Last year was also a record one for passengers starting their cruise at a UK port, with embarkations topping the one million passenger mark for the first time. The figures were announced by industry organisation CruiseBritain, which covers 13 ports including Kirkwall in Orkney.

Chairman Daren Taylor predicted that cruise passenger day-trip disembarkations could exceed one million in 2014.