Industry heavyweights gather in Adelaide for the Australian Cruise Association’s 26th annual conference

It’s been a tough few months for the national cruise industry but industry heavyweights are in Adelaide, sizing up the state and offering boatloads of tourist dollars.

Almost 160 cruise industry representatives from cruise lines, port authorities, state and

regional tourism organisations and tourist attractions are in Adelaide until Friday for the Australian Cruise Association’s 26th annual conference.

The gathering of heavyweights comes at a nervous time for the local industry as the Princess and Cunard lines dump Melbourne as a home port from the 2025-26 season in protest over a hike in port fees, raising questions about cruises coming to SA ports.

It also follows Carnival Corp folding P&O Cruises into the Carnival brand from next March and the retirement of P&O’s Pacific Explorer which made eight visits to Adelaide last season.

In South Australia, there are 119 cruise and expedition ship visits scheduled for the 2024-25 season, a fall compared to 124 visits across the state in 2023-24.

P&O Cruises Australia’s flagship Pacific Explorer arrives in Adelaide for the 2022 cruising season. Picture: Supplied

The 119 figures includes 74 full-size cruise ships — but in 2025-26 there are just 58 full-size cruise ship visits scheduled at present.

The state government is in discussions with the industry to ensure SA remains a competitive cruise destination with a focus on growing the range of cruise lines visiting SA, including enticing high yield visitors on luxury cruises.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison noted the 2024-25 season will see several cruise lines visit South Australia for the first time including MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Hapag Lloyd Cruises.

Luxury cruise line Silversea has confirmed an extensive cruise season in SA in 2025-26 including multiple overnight stays in port.

“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to showcase South Australia to leading cruise industry representatives at the Australian Cruise Association Annual Conference this week,” she said.

“The record 156 attendees are discovering first-hand why South Australia is a must-visit destination, both for cruise ship passengers and the cruise industry alike.

“While I acknowledge there are some challenges ahead for cruise as a sector nationally, we are working hard to ensure our state remains an appealing and competitive cruise destination, growing the number and range of cruise lines and ships bringing in visitors to South Australia.

The sector collapsed in the Covid shutdowns but quickly bounced back to be 48 per cent higher compared to pre-Covid levels as of the 2022-23 season which injected a record $215m into South Australia’s economy.

It has been a lucrative source of tourism income including to the regions where stops at places like Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln have seen eager visitors spending up on shore tours.

Adelaide calls also have spread income to the regions as well as the city with shore tours to places like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.

The conference, titled “Steering Ideas to Success” will cover topics critical to the growth of the cruise industry which supports more than 18,000 jobs nationally and is worth an estimated $5.63bn to the Australian economy, as of 2022-2023.

Chief executive of the Australian Cruise Association Jill Abel said: “As we look to the future of the industry, we will continue to work closely with government as well as other key stakeholders to ensure we are well positioned for growth.”