WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS WITH CRUISING?

By Emma Broughton onCarryOn

The Australian cruise industry continues to benefit from strong growth taking advantage of its position as an island nation with an extensive number of access points to various points all over Australia. Growth in the double digits has been consistent year over year as cruise lines seek to include Australia in their exotic itineraries.

Australia already hosts the majority of the world’s leading cruise lines includingPrincess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Cunard, Celebrity Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia. Cruise ships of all sizes and calibre dock in Australia including those belonging to the up-scale lines of Seabourn and Silversea.

One of the Fastest Growing International Cruise Markets

Tourism Australia has been active in marketing cruise tourism to the North American market, which currently holds the largest percentage of cruise passengers in the world. According to the most recent findings in the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) global industry report, their efforts may well be paying off as Australia remains one of the fastest growing cruise markets and most popular cruising destinations in the world.

As the CLIA report suggests, Australia ranks in the top five world’s largest cruise markets, recording incredible growth of 130 percent in the past five years that is only second to the Scandinavia and Finland region. It is also in the top four regions in terms of ship deployments at 6 percent of all global itineraries, with only the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Northern Europe ranking ahead.

The growth in the nation’s cruise tourism industry is having a tremendous benefit on the economy with several Australian port cities reaping the rewards that come with the arrival of a cruise ship. As the most recent Economic Impact Assessment of the Cruise Shipping Industry in Australia indicates, spending from the cruise sector grew nearly 20.6 percent in 2012-2013 over the previous year with estimated growth of 17 percent expected to follow in 2013-2014.

A Record Deployment for Princess

Princess Cruises has intentions to base a record five cruise ships in Australia in 2015 as it plans to add the Golden Princess, capable of carrying 2,600 passengers. The ship is expected to arrive in Sydney on her maiden voyage to Australia in October 2015. The ship will then homeport in Melbourne making it the largest cruise ship ever to homeport in the city.

The Golden Princess’ five-month season will be spent operating itineraries to New Zealand, the South Pacific, and Tasmania. The Golden Princess will join the Diamond Princess, Sun Princess, Dawn Princess, and Sea Princess. Australia is the second-largest market for Princess Cruises after the United States. The line also plans to introduce onboard pricing in Australian dollars for the first time.

The Largest Ship Deployed to Australia

Royal Caribbean intends to deploy a second vessel from the company’s mega ship fleet to Australia next year to meet the region’s surging demand for cruising. As the Herald Sun reports, the 138,000 tonne Explorer of the Seas, capable of carrying 3,800 passengers will become the largest ship ever to be based in the region. The ship will help the company to increase capacity in the region without deploying an additional ship. The Explorer of the Seas will replace the smaller Rhapsody of the Seas on itineraries exploring destinations around New Zealand, Australia, the South Pacific, and repositioning cruises from Singapore.

Royal Caribbean continues to be the most vocal cruise line for the development of Port Botany. The line advocates that with proper infrastructure in place, it can bring even larger vessels down to Australia. Although cities such as Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai have all invested in new terminals capable of handling 5000-passenger vessels, Sydney continues to use an immigration pier that was built in the 1950’s to meet the demands of the nation’s growing cruise industry. Royal Caribbean wants to bring its largest ships to Australia.

Expedition Cruising Rises in Popularity

Meanwhile, expedition cruises continues to be one of the most popular niche sectors for avid Australian cruisers. Silversea reports that nearly 20 percent of its revenue now comes from expedition cruising with the niche market continuing to grow year after year. One of the most popular itineraries is a Kimberley expedition to explore Australia’s wild northwest.  As the website Planet Cruise suggests, while Australia offers the excitement of cruising into the glistening harbours of Sydney and Auckland, it also offers a diverse combination of culture, sights, and activities. The Kimberly itinerary is appealing to tourists because of the vast landscape of western Australia that boasts spectacular waterfalls, gorges, rainforests, caves, and wildlife. On Silversea’s Kimberley voyages, the trips are always sold out with 98 percent of passengers coming from Australia. The country now represents nearly a quarter of Silversea’s entire expedition business with the cruise line becoming a reputable brand that is known and trusted in the Australian market.

With Australia, New Zealand, and the various destinations of the South Pacific all being island nations, the most practical way to visit them is by cruise ship allowing passengers to experience the excitement of both land and sea. As governments continue to develop infrastructure attracting larger ships, the cruise industry in Australia is likely to continue expanding well into the foreseeable future offering more bargains to passengers as cruising becomes more competitive and affordable.