The fascinating history of Sutton Hoo; the splendid sight of Framlingham Castle; fish and chips at Aldeburgh; cream teas with jam at Tiptree; traditional oysters on Mersea Island.  Or perhaps visitors might fancy gardens, golf, cycling, clay pigeon shooting ...

The Haven Gateway has so much to offer and we are always looking for ways of getting that message across. This year we have opted for a trusted old tradition – send a postcard (or several)!

At the giant Seatrade Miami cruise convention next week, where the Haven Gateway and Harwich International Port will share a stand, we will hand out our own unique set of postcards, each one giving details of a fantastic excursion opportunity for cruise passengers calling into Harwich.

You might well hazard a guess at many of the temptations on offer – but one postcard might take you by surprise.  It’s a picture of the “finished” Olympic stadium, ready for the 2012 London games.

We have all been impressed by the great success of Vancouver’s Winter Olympics.  Now it’s time for London to take centre stage ... and Harwich, one of the UK’s top three cruise ports, is perfectly placed to step into the Olympics spotlight.

At Miami we will be launching Harwich as a “Gateway to the Games” for both cruise and ferry passengers.  As well as our postcards of the Olympic stadium, we will push the message home with a good supply of Olympic logo badges as well!

Harwich International Port offers fast rail and road links to London – and, of course, has excellent links to mainland Europe. Where better for passengers to stay awhile before, during and after the Olympics, than the Essex and the wider Haven Gateway area? 

Despite the economic downturn, the cruise sector remains buoyant.  Miami brings together all the important decision makers in this global market. The big cruise companies are planning their itineraries for 2011-12 now – and they are always looking for new excursion ideas.

We are working to ensure they know what Harwich has to offer; that Harwich provides an ideal option in connection with the Olympics and also because of the impressive variety of visitor attractions within a short journey of the port.

But this isn’t just a short-term plan.  While Harwich can be the gateway to the Olympics and the subregion offers an excellent base for visiting the Games, we are also looking further ahead.

The “legacy” word has been used a great deal by the organisers of the London Olympics, and it’s an important factor.  We know that bringing people in during 2011 and 2012 will present an ideal opportunity to show off the region. In other words, we will create our own “legacy” – establishing Harwich and the wider Haven Gateway as a great place to visit.