A €35 million sleek mega yacht will be arriving in Poole on Wednesday.

Variety Cruises, based in Greece, is bringing its flagship vessel, The Variety Voyager, to the port as part of a European stopover tour between June and October.

Specialising in small ship or ‘mega-yacht’ luxury cruising, Variety is keen to share its ‘small is beautiful’ philosophy for an environmentally friendly impact on ports of call and the ocean.

Built in 2012, the new-build 68m/223 ft state of the art mega yacht accommodates 72 passengers in 36 cabins and has a crew of 32.

In March the Echo reported that work had started on a £10m project to expand the Port of Poole in order to accommodate larger cruise ships.

Currently, Poole can only accommodate smaller cruise ships but, with these new facilities, the port could handle visiting cruise ships with more than 1,000 passengers.

And Poole Harbour Commissioners continue to expand the port’s cruise ship capabilities with the new 200 metre South Quay development scheduled for completion later this year.

Jim Stewart, chief executive of Poole Harbour Commissioners, said: “We are delighted to welcome Variety Cruises back to Poole Harbour, and look forward to accommodating them over the summer and again next year.

"The ship is stunningly stylish and is sure to create an exciting impact in Poole Harbour.”

Meanwhile managing director of Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays, Chris Lorenzo, said: 'It is the very first time that we have one of the mega yachts of the Variety Cruises fleet visiting a British port and we are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the vessel to our UK trade partners and press.”

Last year the Echo reported Poole’s ambition to be increasingly known as a cruise destination took a step forward - with the arrival of a new liner.

The 122ft luxury cruise liner, Clio, with 90-passengers, visited Poole during the summer.

Clio, which carried mainly American tourists, operated between Poole and Edinburgh, calling at ports in Ireland, Scotland and the west coast of England.