Regional tourism buoyed by increase in Australian cruising

New cruise ship destinations and an increase in the number of days cruising passengers are spending in regional areas has helped buoy Australian regional tourism in the last 12 months.

The Australian Chamber – Tourism welcomes the solid results reported in the annual Economic Impact Assessment report commissioned by the Cruise Lines International Association and the Australian Cruise Association.

The Australian Cruise sector contributed $5.2 billion in direct and indirect output to the Australian economy in the FY 2018-19, an increase of 11.1 per cent over 2017-18, supporting 18,135 full-time jobs.

“With 55 cruise ships visiting 47 ports and destinations in Australia, the economic impact of cruising is enormous with the benefits of growing cruise tourism flowing across to other key tourism sectors such as accommodation, food and beverage and retail,” Executive Chair of Australian Chamber-Tourism, John Hart, said.

Mr Hart said the addition of five new destinations in 2018-2019 (Batemans Bay and Trial Bay in NSW, Dunk Island and Great Keppel Island in Queensland and Wurrumiyanga (Tiwi Islands) in the Northern Territory) was a win for regional tourism.

“The increase in spend, especially in regional and smaller ports across Australia, creates further visitor dispersal, jobs, growth and opportunities in our regions.”

Passenger visit days increased by 15.4 percent from 2017-18, leading to an increased spend. International visitors at the start or end of their cruise spent an average of $569 onshore per day, with domestic travellers spending an average of $436 per day.

“Australian tourism benefits from the unique experiences that the cruise industry provides to both international and domestic cruise travellers.

“The increased interest in Australian cruising is a testament to the unique experiences and products on offer and the efforts of industry to promote them.”

“Conducive policy settings such as increasing available berthing space and increased infrastructure investment in ports will help take this sector to new heights, benefiting Australian tourism and the overall Australian economy.”