The leader of Inverclyde Council has called for a passenger levy on cruise ships visiting the area and dismissed fears the move would be a ‘major economic blow’.

Seventy nine liners and 110,000 passengers will have docked in the town this year with the final arrival, the Regal Princess, on Monday, September 30.

Councillor Stephen McCabe believes the luxury boats bring a financial benefit to both Greenock and Inverclyde but says the council should have the powers to impose a levy similar to other European ports such as Barcelona.

(Image: George Munro/Inverclyde Council) The Labour politician wants the money reinvested to attract the high spending tourist passengers into the town and surrounding area.

At present many prefer to take organised and pre booked trips to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, the Trossachs and Loch Lomond.

The Scottish Government is carrying out a country wide consultation to canvas the views of councillors, businesses and local people on a cruise ship levy.

Legislation, if introduced, would give local authorities the power to impose a charge on each passenger.

OTHER NEWS: Regal Princess to bring Greenock cruise ship season to a close

An early discussion with stakeholders took place in private in Greenock on Tuesday, October 1 which Mr McCabe said had planned to attend.

Plans for a cruise ship levy also has the backing of the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Mr McCabe is a big supporter of the cruise ships but says more needs to be done to tempt passengers into Inverclyde to spend money.

He added: "You are competing with the companies who are providing excursions for passengers.

"For example, a Disney ship recently put on a special train to Edinburgh.

"You will also get people who want to leave Inverclyde and go to other parts of Scotland for the day.

"But the more that we can offer, the more passengers we can keep in Inverclyde.

"It is important however we have a good offer. To do that we need money."

OTHER NEWS: Greenock port operator set to earn cruise ship millions

But Rob Mason, Chair of industry trade body Cruise Scotland, fears a future council levy on passengers will deter ships from stopping in Greenock in future.

He said: "This would be a major economic blow.

"For every 24 cruise passengers, one full-time job is supported either in the supply chain, local businesses at cruise destinations or travel agents.

"Each cruise passenger spends an average of £100 a day which benefits restaurants, shops, taxis, tourist attractions and a range of other small businesses. "

Disney Dream  (Image: Janet Boyle) Mr Mason added: "Local ports also benefit from the onshore spend from the ship’s crew, often in clothes stores, supermarkets, cafes and pharmacies.

"More than 60 per cent of cruise passengers will return to a destination that they visited on a cruise.

"The current economic benefits that cruises bring cannot be overlooked. A visitor levy could impact this."

Last year a £20million visitor centre at Greenock Ocean Terminal opened.

It features an arrivals/departure hall as well as a museum, restaurant and art gallery.

The project, led by Inverclyde Council, was funded by the Scottish and UK governments, with contributions from owners Peel Ports.

Cllr McCabe, who represents Labour in Inverclyde East, says the terminal investment was intended to encourage passengers to visit Greenock during their stop off An assessment is to be carried out to see what economic benefits the liners bring to Inverclyde and the wider Glasgow City Region.

There have been concerns that the town and surrounding areas do not see the full benefit of the cruise trade.

Mr McCabe added: "I don't believe it would deter cruise ships from visiting Greenock as has been suggested.

"There are ports across Europe that impose a levy and that has not had a detrimental effect on the numbers of cruise ships.

"Any charge would be a fairly modest amount compared to what passengers pay for their cruises.

"If we have 10,000 passengers in a year and charge £3 each then that is £300,000 we can use to encourage passengers to stay locally."

(Image: George Munro) The council boss says the money could be used to extend the opening hours of museums and other visitor attractions, clean up the town centre, increase refuse collections and carry out environmental improvements.

He added: "If people come here and have a positive impression then they can become an ambassador for the area and tell people about it when they get home.

"It is not just about the monetary value but also the reputational value.”

Ross Greer, Scottish Greens MSP, said a small charge could raise millions of pound to invest in port towns, like Greenock.

He said: "That money could be spent on Inverclyde's cultural venues and on new projects designed to attract cruise passengers to stay and spend their money locally.

"This would make Inverclyde more attractive for visitors and, crucially, boost the services on offer for residents.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Programme for Government commits Ministers to undertake work on a cruise ship levy "This is in response to calls from COSLA, MSPs, councils and others.

"The Scottish Government will now engage with local authorities, the cruise ship industry and others to develop more detailed proposals.”