THE NUMBER of cruise ships to lined up to visit Sydney over the winter season has doubled since last year’s offseason.
According to the Port Authority of New South Wales, the summer cruise season will have seen 286 cruise ships call NSW ports by 30 April.
Port Authority of NSW CEO Philip Holliday said one million passengers are expected to have passed through the state’s cruise terminals in the 2022-23 financial year.
“NSW claimed $3.3 billion out of Australia’s $5 billion a year cruise industry before the pandemic and it is bouncing back with visitation rates in NSW steadily approaching pre-pandemic figures – much faster than expected,” Captain Holliday said.
“Cruise has also really supported NSW’s regional communities too, with 34 ships visiting Eden alone bringing over 50,000 passengers and injecting over $13.7 million into the local economy.
“The traditional summer cruise season runs from October to April and with 66 cruise ships scheduled to sail into Sydney Harbour over winter the economic benefits will keep flowing to NSW.”
The port authority believes Sydney’s position as the home port for Pacific Adventure and Carnival Splendor will buoy the winter cruise season.
“The benefits from this home port are felt from the restaurants, local tourism industries and operators right through the supply chain,” Captain Holliday said.
