Small ships, big news

SMALL ship cruising is continuing to raise hopes for our industry with Coral Expeditions, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Aurora Expeditions all announcing exciting Australian itineraries for 2021.

Tumby Bay on the Eyre Peninsula welcomed Coral Adventurer recently as it made a stop on a 10-night cruise throughout the state.

This was the first commercial cruise ship to ever dock in the regional town with Council hoping this is the first of many such visits.

A rousing community welcome was followed by numerous onshore activities all bringing tourism dollars to this seaside location.

Coral Expeditions will also recommence its cruising in WA with over 45 departures planned for 2021 catering to over 4,000 guests.

This will mean significant economic impact to the communities visited by these ships as well as the local tour operators.

Scenic Eclipse will set sail in WA with an eight-cruise Kimberley season and Aurora Expeditions is looking like it will enjoy a full season in Australia for the first time in 30 years.

While this type of cruising with ships under 100 passengers represents a small proportion of what we were seeing pre-COVID it is nonetheless an important boost to the industry and the sign of things to come.

We are delighted to hear passengers who might previously have gone offshore for their cruising commenting on the convenience and accessibility of these kinds of itineraries making us believe these might be here to stay.