The cruise ship season is set to kick off for south Dorset with the first liner of the year set to arrive this Tuesday.

This year Portland Port is to welcome 56 cruise ships carrying a total of up to 130,000 passengers between them.

The first of these ships will be the AIDAbella on Tuesday, March 7.

The German cruise ship, which can hold 2,050 passengers, is scheduled to arrive at 8am and depart at 7.30pm.

It is set to be another bumper cruise season for Portland Port which has established itself as a major player in the industry.

The number of ships visiting from around the world has increased dramatically - in 2000 just three ships called in.

It provides a tremendous boost to the local economy - passengers can choose to go on excursions around the region but many opt to visit Weymouth and Portland. They are welcomed at the port and transported into town and are usually waved off from the port to the sounds of a band.

This year there are 56 ships expected, including those from AIDA, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity and more. The amount of ships is down compared to last year but the passengers numbers have increased. Ships will be visiting from America, Norway Germany, and other European countries.

The season is starting relatively early with the arrival of the AIDAbella tomorrow; the season will run until Tuesday, November 14 when the last ship of the year to be welcomed will be the AIDAmar.

The largest cruise ship for this season will be the MSC Virtuosa which holds nearly 5,000 passengers and will be making port on Friday, April 28.

The AIDAbella arriving tomorrow will be bringing passengers from Hamburg, Germany on a 21-day trip which will also take in the Canary Islands and Spain.

AIDAbella has a crew of 607 and is part of Aida Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. It is 15 years old, entered service in 2008 at a cost of $390 million, and has 1,025 passenger cabins. It was built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and is the sister ship of the AIDAvida and AIDAluna.

The 252-metre ship has 13 decks, a gross tonnage of 69,203tn and a cruising speed of 20 knots. Its facilities include a nude sunbathing area towards the back of the ship.

After this week's visit the next ship will be from the same company, the AIDAaura on Tuesday, April 4.