PORTS in Queensland and New South Wales are welcoming the start of the 2024-25 cruise season with busy schedules, maiden calls and, in NSW, news of a record economic return in the previous season.
A surge in the economic value of cruise activity was felt around the country, according to data released by Cruise Lines International Association on Friday (18 October), the industry generating a record $8.43 billion nationwide in 2023-24.
The lion’s share of that figure was attributed to NSW, which saw economic return increase 60.4% to $4.41 billion in 2023-24.
Port Authority of NSW expects the growth to continue over the coming summer with 312 cruise ship visits bringing 1.2 million passengers and crew into the state’s ports.
PANSW highlighted anticipated numbers for the ports of Eden and Newcastle, with 25 and 12 cruise ship visits lined up for the ports, respectively.
Port Authority of NSW CEO Philip Holliday said the overall outlook for the summer cruise season is positive.
“We will see a softening of cruise ship visits of around 5% however we will harness this opportunity to plan for the 25/26 season that already is trending upwards,” Captain Holliday said.
“There’s never been a better time to cruise, with a diverse range of lines visiting our shores.”
NSW minister for transport Jo Haylen said more than half of Australia’s cruise spend is retained in the state’s economy.
“The season ahead will see even more international cruise ships visit NSW, and it shows a growing momentum for the cruise industry as passengers get back on board post-pandemic,” she said.
“This year we will see 23 maiden cruise ship arrivals to NSW ports, bringing hundreds of thousands of passengers eager to explore Sydney and our state.
“There’s been some excellent growth in this industry, and our new panel will help the cruise industry continue to grow sustainably in the years ahead.”
The new panel, convened by minister Haylen, will explore options for the location of a potential new cruise terminal in NSW.
And in Queensland, Port of Brisbane has reported a strong start to the season at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal during the first weeks of October, including multiple calls from Pacific Encounter and a maiden call from residential cruise vessel The World.
PBPL CEO Neil Stephens said the port expects more than 150 cruise calls from 13 cruise lines over the 2024-25 season.
“Over the next 12 months, we’re looking forward to welcoming nine maiden callers, many of these being ‘expedition-like’ vessels, as well as returning friends including P&O, Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Royal Caribbean International and Disney.”
Mr Stephens said PBPL invested in its cruise terminal throughout the quieter winter months.
“We’ve significantly expanded onsite car parking, added shading to more outdoor seating areas and increased the capacity of our taxi rank.
“We also worked with renowned First Nations artist, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, to create a stunning artwork, From Land to Sea, that spans the 660-metre length of our car parks for passengers to enjoy.”
Queensland is the Australia’s second-largest cruise economy, according to the CLIA/Australian Cruise Association report, with a total economic output of $2.41 billion in 2023-24 (up 43.1%).
