New Year’s Eve a damp squib for cruise captains

Cruise operators are reporting a major slump in bookings, as soaring Covid-19 cases numbers and mass cancellations threaten to blight another New Year’s Eve.

Australian Cruise Group captain Mujdat Aktepe, at Kings Wharf in Sydney, is expecting a low turnout on New Year’s Eve. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.

Soaring Covid-19 cases are threatening to blight another New Year’s Eve for tourism operators in Sydney as revellers cancel their harbour cruises in droves.

What is normally the busiest night on Sydney Harbour – when thousands of locals and tourists flock to tick off a bucket-list item and experience the ­famous fireworks from the water – is threatening to be one of the worst years on record.

At this stage the NSW government is still committed to the traditional fireworks spectacular with more than six tonnes of fireworks set up and ready to be ignited on Friday night.

Australian Cruise Group executive director Sudhir Warrier said growing Covid-19 cases in NSW – which reached a new record high of 11,201 on Wednesday – had led to bookings completely drying up in what is normally the busiest week of the year.

‘“It is very devastating because we were doing so well until early December, and the confidence just fell off in the past 10 days,” Mr Warrier said.

“It’s the fear to book, that is the biggest factor – the fear to book and what happens if it gets cancelled … there have been so many decisions in quick succession and they worry there may not be fireworks, or a new decision.

“This is another blow we don’t need,” he added.

“Our business is the most ­impacted as it is dependent on ­inbound tourism.”

Mr Warrier said the company usually sold about 2500 tickets for New Year’s Eve across up to 12 boats, but this year just 600 tickets had been bought.

“Financially it has been very challenging, not just for us but for the entire industry,” he said.

“We had JobKeeper and JobSaver – it was all helpful but our business is a high-capital business and the cost of repairs and moorings, the fixed costs, don’t change.

“We had hoped this was the turning point.”

Great Gatsby Boat Party owner Ben Webster said that his company’s New Year’s Eve cruise. which has capacity for 400 people, would be running at half ­capacity this year.

“It has been a rollercoaster, a lot of people are either cancelling or some people want to go but are confused about the messaging from the government.” he said.

“People aren’t booking, we’ve spent a lot of money on advertising, and so basically on a night like New Year’s Eve, when it’s our prime night of the year, we’ll be lucky to break even.”

Assuming they do go ahead, this year’s 9pm and midnight harbour displays include more than 80,000 dazzling effects shot into the sky, 25,000 of which will fire from the Harbour Bridge.

First Nations artist Blak Douglas has taken charge of the 9pm show, presenting ­silhouettes featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who will dance across the pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge while a bright display of fireworks resembling the Aboriginal flag shines overhead.

Seventh-generation pyrotechnician Fortunato Foti is curating his 25th New Year’s Eve fireworks program this year.

“Creating an event of this scale and being responsible for entertaining millions of people across Australia and around the world is what it’s all about – it’s what drives us each year to do something new, brighter and better,” he said.

“We normally do between 400 and 500 fireworks shows a year but nothing compares to the exhilaration of creating Sydney’s New Year’s Eve displays.

“We promise a show that everyone will enjoy, whether they’re watching it around the harbour, at home, or online.”