A record 13,000 passengers disembarked on Tuesday in the port of Lisbon from the towering hulls of cruise ships, including Cunard Line’s gigantic trio of ‘Queens’ making a rare joint stopover in a nod to the destination’s growing popularity.

Tourism has been an important element in helping Portugal’s economy emerge last year from its worst recession since the 1970s, alleviating its high unemployment rate from record highs of over 16 per cent by generating jobs in tourism centres like Lisbon, Porto and the southern region of Algarve.

Tourism-related revenues account for more than 10 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product that shrank in full-year 2013, but is expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year, just as Portugal exits an international bailout.

The so-called Royal Rendezvous, including the Queen Mary 2 – the largest ocean liner ever built – the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, all cruise ships operated by Carnival Corp’s Cunard, has only ever happened in New York and in their home port of Southampton.

“This encounter, the fact that Cunard has chosen Lisbon to promote itself, is a big honour and an acknowledgement of Lisbon as a major tourism destination whose appeal keeps increasing,” said Andreia Ventura, a Port of Lisbon board member.

Aside from the tourists, the liners and another three cruise ships moored in the Tagus estuary port beneath the hilly landscape of the elegant, luminous city carry a small army of 5,000 crew.

Authorities estimate the visitors would spend at least €1.4 million in one day – a welcome boost to local trade.