Tag Archives: Cruise Lines International Association

Sydney in dire need for an additional cruise terminal

Posted: May 28, 2022

Australia, , , , , ,

The Australian cruise industry is in dire need to draw more passengers into Sydney Harbour, and is holding out hope the navy will vacate Garden Island so that its base can be turned into a cruise terminal.

GardenIslandNSW_aerialshot

Navy base at Garden Island

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) latest market source report was released earlier this week exceeding expectations in 2015, as Australians show their love of cruising with a growth of nearly 15 per cent in 2015 to reach a record 1,058,781 passengers, with a 42 per cent hike in domestic cruise passenger numbers.

With the increase of Mega Ships, cruise lines and governments are looking into the prospect of Garden Island hosting additional berths as their cruise shops won’t fit under the Harbour Bridge.

Ovation of the Seas

Mega Ship Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas will port out of Sydney in time for the peak summer season

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia chairman Steve Odell said there was “no question” it was needed.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “If we’re going to grow the business further, then we need a solution east of the (Sydney Harbour) bridge,” Mr Odell said at the report’s launch.   [/pullquote]

A present Sydney harbour is home to two cruise terminals, one at White Bay in Rozelle to accommodate smaller cruise ships, as well as the chief Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay.

But it’s believed not establishing the Garden Island terminal could cost Australia’s tourism industry billions of dollars.

It is predicted that if Sydney don’t redevelop the navy base at Garden Island into a new cruise ship terminal Australia’s tourism industry will lose billions of dollars

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “We are, particularly in the summer, at saturation point,” Mr Odell said.   [/pullquote]

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The cruise lines are not going to come. They’re going to find other alternatives if we don’t have places to go for ships.   [/pullquote]

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “If we don’t have Sydney in the itinerary, it actually begs the question if we come to Australia at all.”   [/pullquote]

The NSW government recently invested $135 million in the White Bay terminal but is looking at further ways to boost berthing capacity as cruise liners get bigger.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to increase cruising capacity inside Sydney Harbour where possible, including at Garden Island,” a spokeswoman for state maritime minister Duncan Gay said.   [/pullquote]

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday announced a $50 million election sweetener to upgrade the wharf at the NSW south coast port of Eden and its airport to increase the town’s capacity to service the largest cruise ships.

The industry, which puts its triumph down to “high merit” for Australian cruisers, is anticipating to increase domestic cruise passengers twofold to 2 million by 2020.

Vocal community opposition to proposals to develop a terminal on Queensland’s Gold Coast is also not expected impact the industry, with Eden and Bunbury, south of Perth, embracing cruising infrastructure.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “In these regional areas, 2500 passengers spending $250 dollars a day is a significant impact on their economies,” CLIA Australasia’s managing director Neil Linwood said.   [/pullquote]

New Zealand cruise passenger numbers mounting at a record rate

Posted: May 24, 2022

Australia, Countries, Press Release, , , , , , , , , ,

A new report released today shows a record 66,152 New Zealanders pursued the world’s oceans on a cruise holiday in 2015 with a 10 per cent leap in passenger numbers assisting to make New Zealand one of the world’s top cruise markets.

Overpowered only by Australia and evolving hot spot China (up 52 per cent) New Zealand was one of only three international cruise passenger markets to record a double-digit upsurge last year reveals the report

With Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia’s annual New Zealand Cruise Industry Source Market Report now focused exclusively on ocean cruising, in line with international CLIA reporting, the up-to-date statistics confirm that the New Zealand ocean cruise passenger market has gone from strength to strength, recording almost 65 per cent growth over the past five years.

Released in Auckland today, the figures also show that New Zealand cruise passengers spent almost 680,000 days at sea in 2015.

CLIA Australasia Chairman Steve Odell said the 2015 figures meant the equivalent of 1.4 per cent of the population had taken a cruise last year with New Zealand now ranked sixth in the world for market penetration ahead of many established cruise nations including Italy (1.3 per cent), Spain (1 per cent) and France (0.9 per cent).

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “New Zealand is still an emerging source market but after another year of solid growth, which saw the nation outperform most key markets, it’s clear that cruising is growing in popularity,” Mr Odell said.   [/pullquote]

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “These figures show us that New Zealanders are increasingly recognising cruising as a great value and relaxing way to travel, not only in their backyard but also as part of an overseas trip.”   [/pullquote]

The annual source market report is based on data received from CLIA’s cruise line members, which account for more than 95 per cent of the world’s cruise passengers. 

Australian passenger numbers soar as people escape the winter blues

Posted: May 16, 2022

Australia, Countries, Onboard Features, Press Release, , , , , , , ,

With the winter season upon us, some of us don’t want to subject ourselves to the wrath of the winter cold, discovering a plan to escape the winter blues.

Australians’ love of cruising was demonstrated yesterday as 2,016 passengers left the Australian winter behind in Sydney and embarked on an impressive 104-night world voyage.

Covering a distance of more than 28,000 nautical miles escaping Australia’s winter by sailing north on Sea Princess on a voyage which will visit 39 destinations in 27 countries before returning to Sydney in late August.

Since Princess Cruises first annual world voyage roundtrip from Sydney in 2008, Princess Cruises has carried more than 30,000 Australians on 10 global journeys. With two world cruises operating in both 2012 and 2013, this year’s world cruise is the 11th the cruise line has embarked on from Australia.

The highpoints of the cruise take in overnight visits to Dubai, St Petersburg, New York and Lima as well as passages of the Suez and Panama canals, and calls to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, including the isolated Easter Island.

Princess Cruises is the only cruise line to offer a roundtrip world cruise from the southern hemisphere.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia statistics demonstrate the amount of Australians cruising has grown by an average of 20 per cent a year for the past decade, with more than 12,000 Australians compelled to take on a world voyage in 2014.

Nearly 3200 guests will travel on part or all of the world voyage over the next 104 nights.  Almost 1300 are doing the full world cruise, including around 1100 Australians.

Guests will still have a taste of Australia even though they travel the world, a staggering 200 tonnes of food and beverage items were loaded onto the ship in Sydney.  World cruise guests consume about 400kg of beef, 240 dozen eggs, 150kg of shell fish, 1700kg of fresh vegetables and more than 50kg of chocolate a day.

Next year Princess will offer three world cruise options for Australasian travellers: a 104-night round world cruise on Sea Princess, a 75-night Circle Pacific cruise on Golden Princess as well as an 84-night Circle South America cruise on Sea Princess.

October Set to Become Cruisetober Down Under

Posted: April 21, 2022

Australia, Countries, Press Release, , , , , ,

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia has announced that this October the traditional Cruise Week will be extended to a month-long cruise campaign.

The move is part of a global roll out of CLIA’s “Plan a Cruise Month”, which will see CLIA offices around the world synchronise their cruise promotion for the first time.

CLIA Australasia Commercial Director Brett Jardine said the extended cruise campaign was first introduced in the US last year.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “As the cruise industry continues to boom in Australia and around the world, a week is no longer enough time to promote cruising. It’s a natural progression to follow our colleagues in North America in expanding our annual cruise campaign to a full month,” Mr Jardine said.   [/pullquote]

Mr Jardine said October was particularly timely Down Under as it coincided with the start of the peak cruise season.

Similar to Cruise Week, “Plan a Cruise Month” focus is to increase consumer awareness of cruising.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] ““Plan a Cruise Month” will provide the perfect platform for travel agents, cruise lines and industry partners to showcase the many attributes of a cruise holiday and underline that there is a cruise for everyone,” Mr Jardine added.   [/pullquote]

More details on the initiative, as well as tools and resources will be available in the coming months.

Queensland Is Sailing Towards A $2 Billion Cruising Boom As Sydney Runs Out Of Space

Posted: April 17, 2022

Australia, , , , , , ,

As Sydney runs out of space to accommodate the cumulative amount of cruise ships sailing to Australia, the Sunshine State has turned out to be home to more cruise ship ports than anywhere else in the country and industry leaders say Queensland is set to be the big winner

Concept design for the planned mega-cruise ship terminal

Concept Design For The Planned Cruise Ship Terminal.

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “Sydney is pretty much full during the peak season. We continue to see double-digit growth in the sector. That’s where Brisbane, and Queensland, has the biggest opp­or­tunity,” Cruise Lines International Association general manager Brett Jardine said.   [/pullquote]

During the Asian off-season, Queensland will be cashing in on the booming market of Chinese tourists taking cruises, as the cruise ships that are typically bases in Asian ports are likely to come to Queensland to operate in their off-season.

The Port of Brisbane is preparing a detailed business case for a $100 million mega-ship terminal at Luggage Point, at the entrance of the Brisbane River, and anticipates to start assembly next year to allow more cruise ships to visit.

Currently Brisbane doesn’t have the facilities to host lines over 270m long, but my 2020, the expected cruise ships over 270m long will grow by more than 60 per cents

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “We are seeking to develop a dedicated passenger terminal that would make Brisbane a major domestic and international cruise destination, bringing thousands of additional visitors to Queensland each year,” Port of Brisbane chief executive Roy Cummins said.   [/pullquote]

Meanwhile, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is steaming ahead with plans for a cruise ship terminal at The Spit.

In 2015, Queensland received 275 ships and 645,942 passengers, up more than 140,000 compared to 2014, making Queensland the fastest-growing cruise market in the country.

In 2015, cruise passengers injected $749.7 million to the Queensland economy, this number is predicted to surge this year as different ­destinations, including Fraser Island and Gladstone, are added to cruise ship itineraries.

Over the next two decades the new Brisbane cruise terminal is anticipated to multiple the industry’s fiscal profits to almost $2 billion a year.

Cairns, Townsville and the Whitsundays are also keen to boost the number of liner visits.