Thousands of cruise passengers disembark in Cairns ahead of ‘busy’ season
Thousands of passengers have disembarked in Far North Queensland ahead of a busy cruise season, in a boost for the region’s tourism sector.
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Around 2600 passengers from the P&O’s Pacific Encounter have disembarked in Far North Queensland ahead of a busy cruise season.
There are 14 scheduled cruise visits anticipated for Cairns in October, with more anticipated for November.
Anna Best and her family from Tasmania said they were looking forward to warm weather and sunshine while holidaying in Cairns.
“It’s school holidays and Tassie so we thought we’d try a cruise,” Ms Best said.
“We’re going out on one of the (tour) boats and heading to Green Island to hopefully do some snorkelling.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said cruise ship visits to Cairns had increased by 90 per cent from 2019 to 2024 with 87 ships scheduled to arrive in the city.
“These ships will bring in around 140,000 passengers and 40,000 crew with an anticipated visitor spend of $68m,” Mr Olsen said.
“Four of the ships are on their maiden voyage to Cairns and there were 22 days when we enjoyed the spectacle of having two ships in port.”
Mr Olsen said the cruise market was a great boost to the region during the low season, with passengers dispersing to Kuranda, the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas, the Daintree and Great Barrier Reef.
“It is a great opportunity to showcase Tropical North Queensland to a different market and brings a boost to Port Douglas, Cooktown and Thursday Island, with some ships also visiting those ports,” he said.
Cairns Aquarium owner Daniel Leipnik said cruising was a significant part of his business, accounting for roughly 10 per cent of customers.
“We have seen a 50 per cent increase in revenue from this sector largely due to the increased number of ships and the greater number overnighting in Cairns,” Mr Leipnik said.
“Our Night at the Aquarium tours are perfect for cruise passengers wanting a late tour before they return to their ship for dinner, and we are also seeing bookings for private evening functions.”
Pacific Encounter passengers Michelle Battersby and Summer Battersby, from Adelaide said they were looking forward to visiting the Cairns Aquarium on their first trip to the region.
“We’re going to the aquarium today, then we’ve got Green Island tomorrow,” Michelle said.
“We don’t have aquariums in Adelaide, so I’m excited to go,” Summer said.
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Originally published as Thousands of cruise passengers disembark in Cairns ahead of ‘busy’ season
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