Cruise ships to South Australia bring in $145m in 2018-2019 season
As the cruise season starts with the arrival of Sea Princess at Port Adelaide, new figures show how much SA made from the previous one.
SA News
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The lucrative cruise boom continues to steer prosperity to South Australian shores, with the economic boost to the state swelling by a whopping $30 million to $145 million in the 2018-19 season.
And it shows no sign of wavering, with the number of passenger visiting SA ports expected to soar by more than 11,400 this season to more than 182,000.
For the first time, these ports will include Wallaroo, where Vasco da Gama – a new ship to our shores – will call as part of a season based out of Port Adelaide.
The latest data – which shows the 2018-19 season reaped $145 million for SA, up from $114 million the previous season – comes as the local 2019-20 season launches on Friday with the arrival of Princess Cruises’ Sea Princess at Port Adelaide Passenger Terminal.
Tourism Minister David Ridgway who was due to welcome the cruise ship, said it was an exciting time for tourism operators across SA, particularly in regional areas where passengers and crew spent money on tours, food, drinks and souvenirs.
“To have the ships lock in several repeat visits to Port Lincoln, Kangaroo Island and Wallaroo is an enormous boost for those communities, for all of the tour operators, pubs, wineries, shops, visitor service providers and communities who have the opportunity to showcase their unique rural lifestyles – enviable by many across the globe,” he said.
This season will see 23 ships make 80 scheduled visits to SA ports – 38 to Adelaide, 26 to Penneshaw, 13 to Port Lincoln and three to Wallaroo.
Passengers arriving at Port Adelaide will find increased bike and car hire services as well as transport plans to ensure smooth transfers to the train service to Adelaide.
“In addition, the Flinders Ports channel-widening project is now complete – a game-changer for the state,” Mr Ridgway said. “It means we are now one of a handful of destinations around Australia able to host the next era of (an) even larger class of cruise ships to our state.”
SA Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said the season would see visits by new, larger vessels, including the 109,000 tonne, 17-deck Golden Princess.
“We have been working really closely with the cruise operators, ensuring that when they arrive in SA, they have a wide range of activities to offer their passengers, all within easy range of wherever they dock,” he said.
Stuart Allison, from Princess Cruises, said: “We are gearing up for our record SA season next year where we’ll operate an unprecedented 20 cruises to and from Adelaide.”