News Naidheachdan

[Dòmhnall Angaidh Moireasdan - Preseantair] Nise, b’ e an-diugh aon dhe na làithean as trainge dhen bhliadhna aig Caladh Steòrnabhaigh. Thadhail trì soithichean mòra - am Marco Polo, Le Boreal agus am Funchal - air a' chaladh, 's iad a' toirt còrr is mìle luchd-turais chun eilein. Ach tha cuid a' meas nach eil an sgìre a' faighinn an aon ìre de bhuannachd bho luchd-turais a tha a' tighinn air bàtaichean seach luchd-turais àbhaisteach. Ag aithris à Steòrnabhagh, seo Ruaraidh Rothach.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Là àlainn dhan luchd-turais a thàinig air tìr an-diugh ann an Steòrnabhagh. Tha mìle agus trì cheud luchd-turais air na trì eathraichean – an là as trainge dhen bhliadhna gu ruige seo aig Caladh Steòrnabhaigh agus do Stornoway Shipping Services.

[Alasdair MacArtair] Uill dh'fhàg mi’ n taigh mu chòig uairean agus bha na soithichean, thòisich iad a’ tighinn a-steach mu shia ‘s leth uair an dèidh sia. Eadar ceithir dhe na trì soithichean cha d' fhuair mi a-steach air ais dhan oifis gu mu aon uair deug. All in a day’s work. Seo a’ chiad turas agamsa le trì cruise liners a-staigh air an aon là agus ‘s math g’ eil an là cho math ‘s a tha e. Tha dhà dhiubh aig acair agus aig a’ chidhe air mo chùlaibh ann an sin, tha tè a-staigh aig number 3.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Tha daoine bho caochladh cheàrnaidh air na soithichean. Dh’fhaighnich sinn dè a’ bheachd a bh’ aca air an àite agus dè an tarraing a bh’ ann dhaibh.

[Neach-turais 1] Surprising that there’s so few trees but we understand about that. But yeah, lovely place, friendly people. Do you agree?

[Neach-turais 2] Yes we’ve not been before and in fact I think we always wanted to look at the Outer Hebrides and in fact at some point the Orkneys and Shetlands

[Neach-turais 1] But this is great for starters

[Neach-turais 3] We wanted to see the Outer Hebrides. Literally that is the reason we came. Space, wild, away from the city effect, although we don’t live in a city. Canadians tend to like wide open spaces so this appealed and we had never been there.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Tha mòran dhen luchd-turais a’ falbh air busaichean, dol a’ dh’fhaicinn leithid Tursachan Chalanais. Cuid eile cuideachd a’ fuireach anns a’ bhaile, a' dol timcheall nam bùithtean agus ‘s dòcha a’ gabhail cuairt timcheall a’ Ghearraidh Chruaidh. Ach, a bheil an luchd-turais seo - na daoine a tha a' tighinn air eathraichean “cruise” cho luachmhor ri luchd-turais àbhaisteach?

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Tha Alasdair MacIllinnein air a bhith ruith an taigh leabaidh is bracaist Hal O The Wynd air sràid Newton airson trì bliadhna a-nis.

[Alasdair MacIllinnein] Chan eil iad dad eadar-dhealaichte ri daoine sam bith, tha sinn fhìn an aon rud an uair a dh’fhalbhas sinn air làithean-saora agus ‘s e rud a chanainn tha tòrr dhe na daoine a tha a' tighinn dhan eilean seo airson a’ chiad turas agus bidh sinn ag èisteachd riutha bruidhinn agus bidh iad a’ cantainn “oh tha an t-àite seo cho brèagha, tha mi ag iarraidh tilleadh an seo agus ‘s dòcha nach eil iad a’ cosg airgead a’ chiad turas ach cluinntinn g’ eil iad ag iarraidh tilleadh, gheibh sinn buannachd às aig deireadh an là.

[Ruaraidh Rothach – Neach-aithris] Ruaraidh Rothach, BBC An Là, Steòrnabhagh.

[Donald Morrison - Presenter] Now, today was one of the busiest days of the year at Stornoway Pier. Three big ships – the Marco Polo, Le Boreal and the Funchal – visited the pier bringing more than a thousand tourists to the island. But some people believe the island doesn’t gain the same level of profit from cruise liner passengers compared to regular tourists. Reporting from Stornoway, here’s Roddy Munro.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] A beautiful day for the tourists who came ashore today in Stornoway. There are one thousand three hundred passengers on the three ships – the busiest day of the year so far at Stornoway Pier and for the Stornoway Shipping Services.

[Alasdair MacArthur] Well I left the house around five in the morning and the ships started coming in around six, half six. Between the three I didn't get back into the office until around eleven in the morning. All in a day’s work. This is my first experience of three cruise liners arriving on the same day and it’s great that it’s such a good day. Two of them are berthed and behind me at the pier there, one is in at number 3.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] People from each corner of the globe are on these ships. We asked what they thought of the place and what the attraction was for them.

[Passenger 1] Surprising that there’s so few trees but we understand about that. But yeah, lovely place, friendly people. Do you agree?

[Passenger 2] Yes we’ve not been before and in fact we always wanted to look at the Outer Hebrides and in fact at some point the Orkneys and Shetlands

[Passenger 1] But this is great for starters

[Passenger 3] We wanted to see the Outer Hebrides. Literally that is the reason we came. Space, wild, away from the city effect, although we don’t live in a city. Canadians tend to like wide open spaces so this appealed and we had never been there.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] Many of the tourists are hopping on busses, visiting the likes of the Callanish Stones. Others are also staying in town, going around the shops and perhaps taking a stroll in the Castle Grounds. But are these cruise liner passengers as profitable as regular tourists?

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] Ali MacLennan has been running the bed and breakfast Hal O The Wynd on Newton Street for three years now.

[Ali MacLennan] They are no different to anybody else, we’re all the same when we go on holiday but one thing I would say is that a lot of them are visiting the island for the first time, and we hear them say “oh this place is so beautiful, I want to come back” so perhaps they don’t spend much money the first time but hearing that they wish to return, we’ll benefit from it at the end of the day.

[Roddy Munro – Reporter] Roddy Munro, BBC An La, Stornoway.