Gibraltar has been included as a port of call in the 2015 schedule of American cruise company Grand Circle Cruise Line , which will be introducing a new small ship tour named ‘Classic Cities & Moorish Traditions of Iberia & Morocco’.

The ten-day itinerary on board the 98 passenger all-suite Corinthian, comprises Lisbon, Portimao, Casablanca, Tangier, Gibraltar and Sevilla.

The Rock’s inclusion in the programme came about thanks to the leading efforts of ship agents MH Bland in close consultation with the Minister for Tourism and the Gibraltar Tourist Board.

Established in 1998, Grand Circle Cruise Line offers 15 river cruises and cruise tours throughout Europe and Russia as well as eight small ship cruise tours to Burma, Antarctica, Panama, the Dalmatian Coast, Greece and the Greek Islands, the Aegean, Adriatic and beyond.

Minister for Tourism, Neil Costa, said he was delighted at the breakthrough which underlined Gibraltar’s growing reputation as a major port of call in the Mediterranean and its determination to continue expanding the local cruise industry.

He added, ‘Grand Circle is a newcomer to the Rock, and I am confident that the local travel trade will put out all the stops to impress our visitors and provide them a first class experience of everything that Gibraltar has to offer. The US is an important market for us, and we must rise to the challenge. ”

The programme includes a panoramic tour of Lisbon, the blend of cultures in Casablanca and Tangier, a visit to the Upper Rock and naval history of Gibraltar, a tour of the Guadalquivir and sites of Sevilla.

A spokesman for MH Bland said, ‘we are very pleased to have secured Grand Circle Cruise Line as a customer for Gibraltar, and we look forward to a very fruitful and lengthy commercial partnership with them beyond 2015.’

Speaking on behalf of Grand Circle, Denise Sablone, President of the company’s Worldwide Business Operations noted that Gibraltar is an historic, iconic landmark in the Mediterranea. She added, ‘we thought it appropriate that our ‘Classic Cities and Moorish Traditions of Iberia and Morocco’ should include Gibraltar tradition in our new itinerary. We look forward to the launch of our exciting new tour in 2015.’