New cruise dock opened in Huizen

Huizen is ready for a future as river cruise destination. On 18 December 2017, in the harbour of Huizen, glasses were raised to the opening of the new jetty, which is large enough for two river cruise ships of up to 135 meters long.

The MS Emily Brontë had the honour of being the first ship to moor. “This is the largest ship that has ever sailed on the Gooi Lake,” the alderman of Huizen, Marlous Verbeek, declared in her speech on board the ship. The municipality of Huizen has made it its goal to become a tourist magnet and an additional destination for river cruise ships that come to the Amsterdam area. Alderman Verbeek: “Huizen has a beautiful hinterland. The cruise industry offers a unique opportunity to attract tourists to this region. This is a great opportunity for regional businesses. Also boat-bike holidays are very welcome in Huizen. They now have a place to moor.”

Collaboration with the industry

The alderman praised the collaboration with Amsterdam Cruise Port (ACP) in the realisation of the cruise dock. This summer representatives from several large international shipping companies visited the region as part of a study tour that was organised by ACP. “That is when we realised that no one had ever heard of this region,” says Marlous Verbeek, “but everyone was impressed. Consequently, we don’t just want to be an operating base for cruise passengers; we also have a lot to offer here, such as the Botterwerk and the Huizer Museum.”

Ready for the future

The new mooring facility near the marina of Huizen has environmental-friendly shore power supply connections to minimize noise pollution and emission. Leo Detering, the policy adviser of the municipality of Huizen, expects the mooring facility to be in full use as of 2019. “The upcoming year will be a promotion year. Next year, we want to welcome the first ships. We are going to demonstrate that there is a lot to experience near the harbor and further inland.”

The new jetty has been partially realized thanks to the WED subsidy from the province of North Holland.