CRUISE ships could soon be sailing into Swansea again as part of a £1.2 million drive to lure more tourists to Wales and Ireland.

The city's port is one of six on both sides of the Irish Sea to join together to launch a new campaign called Celtic Wave in a bid to take advantage of the booming cruise market.

The cities and towns will be working together to attract more visitors — both UK and overseas — to the region, boosting their local economies.

The move could be particularly important to Swansea, which lost its ferry link to Cork in January 2007.

The last cruise ship to dock in the city, the Ms Vistamar, arrived in September 2007 ready to set out on a 12-day tour, taking in Edinburgh, Invergordon, Skye, Belfast and Dublin.

Celtic Wave project manager Sue Thomas said: "The project represents an important strategic alliance between Wales and Ireland.

"Our partnership will give us a new competitive edge in efforts to increase cruising within the Irish Sea."

Anglesey Council is leading the project, which links the ports of Holyhead, Milford Haven, Dublin Waterford, Cork, and Swansea, after receiving three-year funding from the European Regeneration Development Fund.

Ms Thomas said the aim was to develop a Celtic Wave brand and to market the whole of the Irish Sea region as "one unique destination with a wealth of cultural experiences".

Assembly Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, welcomed the idea of Celtic Wave.

He said: "As demand grows for cruising holidays it is vital that we are able to maximise the potential of this market.

"The Celtic Wave project will make significant steps towards this, attracting more visitors, boosting local businesses and benefiting the economies on both sides of the Irish Sea."

Celtic Wave will be unveiled to industry representatives at a trade fair in the German city of Hamburg next week.