NEW WAVE OF CRUISE LINERS
60 SHIPS TO DOCK IN CAIRNS
THE surging popularity of cruises will deliver a wave of cash to the Cairns economy next year, with seven ships set to make maiden voyages to the Far North.
A total of 59 cruise vessels are set to berth in Cairns Harbour next year, while 19 will drop anchor off Yorkeys Knob, and 21 will voyage to Port Douglas.
It will be a marked increase on this year, with about 40 vessels having visited Cairns.
While the industry contributes a sizeable $25-$30 million to the local economy each year, it’s just a fraction of the Far North’s $3.6 billion tourism sector.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Alex de Waal said the key to expanding the cruise ship industry in the Far North was to encourage more vessels to make Cairns their base.
“We are particularly interested in the home port cruise operations as they generate significant pre and post-visitation, as well as provisioning expenses” Mr de Waal said.
“If a cruise ship is home ported in Cairns it is restocking its food services and supplies are facilitated through Cairns, and that generates significant (economic activity). The day trips are a sideshow compared to the main game.”
This year P&O Cruises’ Pacific Eden made Cairns its “home port” – an agreement set to remain in place until at least the end of 2018, and is so far the only cruise ship to do so.
At the time of the announcement, Treasurer Curtis Pitt said Cairns’ cruise ship sector was now “matching it with the capital cities”.
Included in the ships to make their maiden voyage to Cairns next year is P&O’s latest, Pacific Explorer, due to arrive in September.
According to P&O, it “will be emblazoned with the Southern Cross, a national symbol in both Australia and New Zealand and a celestial constel- lation that has guided generations of seafarers”.
Mr de Waal said the reason tourists wanted to cruise to the Far North was the same as why people from all across the world came here.
“Obviously the cruise ship market thrives off high value propositioning ... consumers regard Tropical North Queensland as a highly desirable destination,” he said.
“But so does the fly-in market, the backpacker market, bird watchers and honeymooners. You name the market, they are all attracted to what Tropical North Queensland has to offer.”