Townsville will say bon voyage to the annual cruise season with Viking Mars, the final cruise ship of the summer, calling at the Port of Townsville on Monday (27 March).

Almost 12,000 cruise passengers and crew have visited Townsville since December 2022, directly injecting more than $3.6 million into the local economy, according to a statement from the Port of Townsville.

Twelve cruise ships visited Townsville between 3 December and 27 March, with 11 calling the port, and one anchored off Magnetic Island.

According to the port, passengers visiting Townsville came predominantly from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.

Three cruise ships made their maiden calls to Townsville during the 2022-23 season: Viking Orion, Amera and Europa 2.

Port of Townsville chief executive officer Ranee Crosby said the season had been a strong bounce-back for Townsville’s tourism industry following a two-year cruise hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It was fantastic to see cruise lines and their passengers return to Townsville and discover the hidden treasures and magical beauty of our region with such enthusiasm,” Ms Crosby said.

“Townsville is continuing to build its reputation as a must-cruise destination and the response from all visitors was overwhelmingly positive. The Port of Townsville is eager to continue working with the tourism industry to inspire more cruisers to discover everything our region has to offer.”

Ms Crosby said next season would see a record 18 cruise ships visit Townsville and larger ships would begin coming to the port from the summer of next year when the Channel Upgrade Project is complete.

Townsville Enterprise director of visitor economy and marketing Lisa Woolfe said as we welcome the last cruise ship of the season, we know this is only the beginning for cruise in the region.

“We look forward to welcoming more cruise ships back to Townsville North Queensland next season and to continuing to grow this sector,” Mrs Woolfe said.

“Cruise is an important sector for our local tourism industry. Cruise passengers and crew spend $500 a day on average in the region, they support our shoulder and low season, have a high propensity as returning visitors, and importantly they disperse spend across tourism experiences, retail, transport services, dining venues and more.”

Townsville Enterprise is a non-profit organisation; its mission is “to achieve sustainable economic and lifestyle benefits for the region and Australia”.