Torbay will see a record number of six cruise ship visits next year.

At the beginning of the year, Ocean Majesty will be anchoring off Torquay Harbour on Monday 27 May with an additional five cruise ship calls during September and October. The Artania will visit on Tuesday 3 September and return on Tuesday 17 September.

A regular visitor to the Bay, the Delphin will visit on Wednesday 4 September with a first time visit from the Thomson Spirit on Friday 6 September followed by the Albatros calling on Sunday 6 October.

An estimated 5,500 passengers will be aboard the six ships bringing a welcome boost to local tourism.

Mayor, Gordon Oliver, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming the ships to the Bay. We had three cruise calls in 2012 and with another six booked for next year our drive to attract more cruise ships to the Bay appears to be paying off. This is the largest number of cruise ship visits we have had for over a decade.

"Attracting cruise ships is continued investment for our maritime tourism and we hope to get back to the cruise ship business we had before. A key aim is to promote alternative excursion options that help to keep more passengers in the Bay during their visit."

Itineraries will be tailored based on passenger profiling of each ship to encourage the visitors to stay local. This includes tapping into the international interest in Agatha Christie, who was born in Torquay and other areas of interest and heritage.