Topic: Weymouth welcomes Euros!

In a bid to capitalise on the increased trade cruisers are set to bring to Weymouth this year, the city has decided to embrace the Euro.

More than 8,000 overseas passengers are scheduled to dock in Portland Port over the next five months, bringing with them as much as £200,000 in disposable cash, according to View Online.

However, with no nearby currency exchange services, port officials have advised local traders to accept the euro if they want to cash in on the tourism boom.

Nigel Reed, president of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, told the news provider he took his "hat off" to the Portland Port for initiating the euro scheme.

"By providing outlets that will accept euros we hope that this will bring new customers to at least some of the shops and restaurants in the town and I am sure the demand will increase as we near 2012," he commented.

Meanwhile, with the pound currently staring to creep up in value, British cruise holidays to destinations on both the dollar and euro currencies are expected to be in demand over the coming summer months.

Sounds like a sensible practice ~ I used to accept Dollars, Euros etc when I had the restaurant for a small charge (Less than that charged on Credit cards). I then just bought it from the restaurant out of my tips and put it to one side for use on holiday.

I got quite a few customers who would pop in for a meal on the night they had returned from holiday only to willing to off load their unused currency.

Many other countries accept currency which is not their own (Croatia, Malta etc) so why not the UK.

I think it's an excellent idea and Weymouth and Portland, whilst being popular with holidaymakers ( known locally as Grockles) both are in need of all the Income they can get.

They are not prosperous areas, like many in the south they rely on tourism & when that dwindles, they hit hard times.

Lizzie.

So do many shops in Canterbury, Ashford and many other places in Kent.