Cruise captain’s happy to be back

CRUISE ship captain Dino Sagani says Hobart’s competitive edge is the fact that even big liners can dock right in the city centre.

Captain Sagani first came to Hobart 20 years ago and says he has seen the city grow and develop as a tourist destination over those two decades.

Captain Sagani is now at the helm of the Majestic Princess, which he guided into the Tasmanian capital for the first time at the weekend.

The ship and its 4000 passengers will be back several more times this cruise-ship season and Captain Sagani said he was looking forward to exploring Hobart again.

“We are very happy to be here. Hobart is always a nice, welcoming port. The city has certainly expanded since I first came to Tasmania,” he said.

“One of the best things about Hobart is how we can dock right in the city centre. That is a real asset.”

Launched in 2017, the Majestic Princess is newest and largest Princess Cruises ship yet to sail in Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian Cruise Association said the industry continued to generate significant national and regional economic activity.

The Australian Cruise Industry Economic Impact Assessment shows Tasmania had 142 ship visit days last financial year and the economic impact was worth over $100 million.

Nationally, cruise tourism was worth $4.8 billion to the Australian economy with cruise passengers embarking or disembarking, spending nearly $1.2 billion in Australian port cities. Transit passengers spent $171 million in the ports they visited.