Cruise sector is good business

WE tend to get really excited about the big cruise liners coming to Cairns and the thousands of spending passengers they bring.

But we often forget and overlook that the port is home to our very own cruise operator, Coral Expeditions.

The company is embarking on an exciting future and this week in a rare event all three of their vessels were in Cairns. Coral Discoverer had a $1 million refit while Coral Expeditions I underwent some maintenance and Coral Expeditions II docked late on Monday morning as part of its weekly cruise around Far Northern islands.

But the best news is to come with Coral Adventurer being added to the fleet, creating 50 jobs.

The company says small ship expedition cruising is growing well and their vessels are always full. Forward bookings on the new ship total $20 million.

The company also has started selling its circumnavigation of Australia in 2020 to mark its 35th year.

It costs nearly $40,000 per passenger, will take 60 days and includes a private jet flight to Uluru for Christmas dinner under the stars.

In the meantime the city is gearing up for 10 cruise ship visits this month, including three maiden voyages from the Seabourn Sojourn, Silver Muse and Viking Orion.

Nearly 2000 passengers plus crew will enjoy shopping, dining and tours for an estimated $3 million windfall to the economy.

The cruise sector is good business for the region and the dredging project next year will allow more and bigger ships to enter the port and boost our economy even further. Nick Dalton Deputy editor