Disney and Virgin liners add to bumper number of visits to Tasmanian cities
Two new cruise liners are set to dock in Tasmania this season, with Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruise Line bringing flocks of tourists to port towns Hobart and Burnie.
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Two new cruise liners are set to dock in Tasmania this cruise season, with Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruise Line bringing flocks of tourists to port towns Hobart and Burnie.
With Disney’s Disney Wonder boasting 11 decks for 2400 passengers and Virgin’s Resilient Lady’s 278m size catering to 2700 people, the cruise additions to Tasmania’s high tourism season will bring a bumper crop of visitors to the state.
Virgin will make 10 journeys to Hobart in this year’s cruise season from late September to late April, as well as 10 stops at northern hub Burnie.
Disney will also make a combined eight journeys to Hobart – among 92 visits by cruise ships to the city this season.
While cruising brings an estimated $104m to the Tasmanian economy, according to Tourism Tasmania data, Destination Southern Tasmania (DST) CEO Alex Heroys said this year’s “particularly early” season shows a healthy industry.
“We are definitely seeing Tasmania return to pre-pandemic levels for cruise ships visitation,” Mr Heroys said.
“With the early start this year, it will be a solid, long season for tourism in the state and bring an important economic boost.”
Mr Heroys said it was important tourism operators didn’t become complacent within the high season for the state and continued to “grab the opportunities as they arise”.
“Any visitors who come to the state by sea or air are extremely valuable for the tourism industry,” he said.
“Operators have to capitalise on that.”
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) CEO Amy Hills said while the cruise additions are big news for the tourism economy, it’s “important to focus” on getting visitors to the state’s regional areas.
“The announcement is great news and similar to the announcements made by airlines recently which is testament to Tasmania’s brand,” she said.
“It’s a priority for industry and Tourism Tasmania to get visitors out to our regions, who are the lifeblood of the tourism industry.”
Ms Hills said tourism operators needed to work alongside industry organisations such as DST, which promotes operators within cruise industries and promotes tourism around the state. Sufficient infrastructure for regions and cities to support tourism and visitor growth is another area of focus for Ms Hills, addressed in TICT’s new 2030 strategy.
“We are working with the state government to find areas we can improve infrastructure to ensure growth and sustainable growth for tourism,” she said.
The new Virgin and Disney cruise liners will bring different groups of tourists, allowing operators to target cruise liners based on family-oriented experiences for Disney passengers and over-18 activities for the Virgin “adults-only” line.
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