New Zealand's cruise sector expects its contribution to economy to grow massively, from US$447M in 2016-2017 to US$640M in 2018-2019 season.
The industry body which represents over 80 members in the sector, New Zealand Cruise Association, released a report on the contribution of cruise tourism to the economy. The number of days that ships spend in New Zealand ports would increase by 31%, from 747 in 2016-2017 to over 980 in 2018-2019 season.
Image: Port Auckland
Cruise passenger growth was planned to rise 46% over the same period from around 236,000 to over 344,000. The report revealed travelers mainly came from North America, Australia and Europe.
According to association chief executive Kevin O'Sullivan, the massive growth predicted for 2018-2019 was driven by more calls from 6 liners - Celebrity Solstice, Golden Princess, Majestic Princess, Norwegian Jade, Ovation of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas.
However, he warned that port infrastructure was very important to maintain calls by the large ships and greater number of passengers.