Editorial: Cruise review is very timely

EDITORIAL: THE Government’s move to publicly review how the cruise ship industry is working in Tasmania is welcome.

The cruise ship Radiance of the Seas docked in Hobart. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

THE Government’s move to publicly review how the cruise ship industry is working in Tasmania is welcome. That’s because, as we noted in this column a fortnight ago, there has been something increasingly out of whack when it comes to the number of cruise ships that visit our shores each summer.

As the “Cruise Market Update” report released by the Premier yesterday points out on its first page, the number of cruise ship visits to Tasmania has increased by between 30 and 45 per cent every year for the past three years. The report notes that growth is not expected to continue at that rate into the future, but at the same time reveals a 22 per cent increase on last summer in the number of port call bookings already confirmed for the summer of 2019-2020.

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EDITORIAL: WE MUST TALK CRUISE CONTROL

There is very clearly a need now to reflect on how we can best balance this interest. And that’s not just the Mercury’s view. There are increasing concerns widespread within the local tourism industry that the growth of the cruising market is continuing far too unchecked — and that we are attracting too many of the wrong types of vessels: namely, the cheap all-inclusive cruises whose passengers tend to not spend much ashore (the average last summer was $140 for passengers, and just $42 for crew).

The Government’s review is therefore timely. And its recommendations make a lot of sense, particularly those around the need to prioritise “yield and shore tour dispersal” of those who arrive on the cruises (half of who are international visitors, if you’re wondering — and the average age of all those who come here is 59).

Hobart — and Tasmania — is in the top tier of desirable destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, with visitor satisfaction surveys off the charts compared to other destinations. But we remain a small place with an even smaller population. And so our future needs to be less Venice and Barcelona (where cruising has grown unchecked) and more Alaska and the Galapagos Islands — destinations where authorities have been clever about how they control and regulate the cruising industry.

We are a premium destination, and we don’t ever want to trade that in. We are also a destination in demand. We should therefore be in a position where we don’t just take what we are given.

And so the Government is right to include in its list of “significant opportunities” for the cruise ship market here the development of “longer, higher-value shore tours to increase dispersal and yield, and attract more boutique international vessels”.

It is also correct to state that so-called expedition vessels and small cruise ships with up to 200 passengers are the best fit for Tasmania (4900 passengers can travel on board the largest visitor to our shores, the Ovation of the Seas).

Finally, the Government’s proposal to “develop provedore supply solutions by increasing the amount of specialty Tasmanian product on board” is a great idea — another way we can maximise the benefits to our economy of these ships coming here.

Oh, and banning the big ships from entering Wineglass Bay? That’s a serious no-brainer that really should have happened already.