THE CRUISE sector in Western Australia has generated a record $385 million for 2023/24 with 290 cruise ship calls over the past season.
It’s a number expected grow this year with 200,000 passengers visiting the state, supporting more than 1200 local jobs.
The record numbers have been revealed in new data from the Australian Cruise Association, which showed a post Covid peak.
Broome and Fremantle were the most popular ports.
The coming season is expected to get back to pre-Covid levels with more than 140 cruise ship visits expected at seven of WA’s ports in 2024-25, bringing in around 200,000 guests and crew.
Fremantle’s next big ship arrival is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 November, when Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth arrives in the port city with more than 2,000 passengers on board.
Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess will also make its maiden call to Fremantle next month, docking at the port city on Wednesday, 6 November, followed by two more visits in May and June, bringing more than 3,000 passengers to WA each time.
In total, Fremantle Port will welcome eight maiden vessels to port in the 2024-25 cruise season.
The Kimberley will continue to hold its title as a ‘bucket list’ cruise destination, with the Port of Broome expected to host 68 cruise calls in 2024-25, while several expedition cruises are expected to head south over the coming season following successful visits to the North West.
The WA Government plans to spend around $1.8 million over the next four years growing the cruise sector through the Western Australian Cruise Tourism Strategic Plan 2023-2033 and an additional $35.5 million committed to improve infrastructure at Fremantle Passenger Terminal.
Fremantle was recently selected to host the 2025 Australian Cruise Association Conference, bringing more than 150 of Australia’s top industry representatives together to discuss port opportunities.
Tourism Minister, Rita Saffioti said Western Australia’s cruise tourism industry has gone from strength-to-strength post pandemic, with visitors clearly recognising the unique experiences the state has to offer both on and offshore.
“Cruise tourism and tourism in general forms an important part of our government’s efforts to diversify our economy and support local jobs, and these numbers for 2023-24 clearly highlight the value of investing in our cruise sector.
“We will continue to work with industry to bring more ships to our shores through opportunities like the Australian Cruise Association Conference and other targeted engagement, while also investing in infrastructure right across the state to enhance visitor experience,” Ms Saffioti said.
