News & Opinions Home

Rural
Economy
Property
Small Business
Trade News
Company News
Forex News
Industry
Local Providers
Regional

Market Place

Business > News & Opinions > NZPA >

NZPA

More cruise ships at New Zealand ports

Friday October 23, 04:48 PM

Print This Story RSS

The growing popularity of cruise holidays is bringing more floating hotels to New Zealand's ports.

And traffic is not slowing down.

The industry is bringing thousands of tourists to the country and pumping millions into local economies, even during the global recession.

"We are very upbeat about the industry. We believe it's got a great future," said Wayne Mills, port services general manager for Ports of Auckland.

The cruise industry has had a 7 percent compound annual growth rate over the past decade.

Though the 2009/2010 season will see fewer visitors arriving with 104,000 expected, the country had a record year in 2008/2009 with 119,000 passengers. They spent $174 million while visiting.

Next year, the country is expected to host about 135,000 passengers with a n additional 50-70,000 cruise crew.

The increase in cruise ship passengers visiting New Zealand is due to larger ships and more cruise lines coming to the South Pacific, said Craig Harris, chairman of Cruise NZ.

P&O Cruises, for example, has increased its fleet in New Zealand and Australian waters from two ships three years ago to six by the end of the next year.

"We are really matching demand -- the demand over the last five years has doubled," said Anthony Fisk, spokesman for Carnival Australia.

"Cruising is growing as a whole because it's a good value holiday. It's something that you get your entertainment, your travel and your accommodation in one fare. "In tough times, people want to know exactly what they are paying for. So we have been really resilient during the downturn and we are finding that people are cruising more than ever."

Most passengers visiting New Zealand are Australians and Americans on 14 to 16-day cruises from Sydney and Melbourne or on international ships such as the Star Princess from West-coast America, said Mr Fisk.

More travellers are choosing New Zealand because of other market saturation, seasonality, and of course, the friendly local faces, according to Cruise NZ. "The cruise lines either say, you are a cruise friendly country or you are not. And if you are not, they just don't bother coming," said Mr Harris.

Cruise lines visit about 14 ports in New Zealand, ranging from Auckland and Wellington to Christchurch and Dunedin.

Smaller ports such as Napier or Tauranga receive as many as 2500 passengers, contributing significantly to local economies.

"Approximately 50 percent of passengers go on an organised tour and then there is another 20 percent who will book tours on the day. They also spend in the local shops and restaurants," said Mr Harris.

Even though ships are self-sufficient, providing their own electricity and water, Mr Harris said infrastructure growth, especially in smaller centres, is essential to sustain the industry.

"They need to consider their infrastructure needs and treat cruises more like they would treat people at an airport. At the moment, people are exposed to the weather -- things that don't happen in an airport.

"The most critical infrastructure requirement we have at the moment is a second cruise berth at Auckland," he said. "Unless we have a turn-around port in Auckland capable of holding two ships at once ... we are not going to prosper."

Auckland is on the right track. The city would have the best cruise facilities in Australasia once the development of an international cruise terminal at Queen's Wharf was completed, said Mr Mills.

The city's cruise ship calls have doubled in the last five years. In the 2004/2005 season, 32 cruise ships docked while in 2008/2009 there were 73.

Cruise ships generate about $100 million of the GDP to Auckland City and region, according to Ports of Auckland.

"So obviously growth in the industry is extremely beneficial to the Auckland region and as Ports of Auckland we are doing everything we can to support the growth," said Mr Mills.

In Wellington, 22 vessels docked at the port in the 2004/2005 season. The number more than doubled in 2008/2009 with 58 ships.

The number of cruise passengers in the capital went up 61 percent last summer bringing in $32 million, compared to 2007/2008, said Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks.

Wellington's port already has in place a large terminal that can cope with the increased demand, according to CentrePort cruise manager Karen Funnel.

Mr Fisk from Carnival Australia said increased demand for cruise trips could make ports extend the season to accommodate ships.

"We can foresee the season expanding to start earlier and finish later, that's a challenge for people operating ports," he said.

Source:

Print This Story RSS

Next Article: NZ dollar closes little changed
Previous article: Commerce Commission launches action against Vodafone

Search:
Advertise with us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Help
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! All rights reserved.
Yahoo!Xtra: A Yahoo!7/Telecom New Zealand Company.