Tripashore has been set up by A2BAirportParking chief executive Lee Strongitharm, who was formerly sales and commercial director at MSC Cruises, to provide an alternative to excursions offered by the cruise lines from summer 2016.

The operator said it would be offering small group tours with an average of 12 guests, which include meet-and-greet at the bottom of the ship gangway, entrance fees, Wi-Fi, free cancellation up to 16 days before departure, and a guarantee to get guests to the next port if they miss their ship.

Strongitharm said: “We have launched Tripashore to focus on what passengers really want and we aim to become the cruise tour provider of choice for cruise guests, travel agents and the world’s leading cruise tour suppliers.

“We have listened to market feedback and have created a range of great value top quality tours which we strongly believe are a real upgrade from current offerings.”

Tripashore has appointed Craig Jeffs, formerly of MSC Crusies, as head of sales, while Bernadette Thomason takes the role of head of product after joining from Carnival UK.