Townsville QLD (Queensland Australia) welcomed its first major cruise ship in 2+ years after Viking Cruises' ship Viking Orion visited the Port last Friday, December 2.
The 930-passenger vessel arrived, giving the local tourism industry a boost just in time for Christmas.
According to Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe, the Queensland Government had worked closely with the cruise industry in order to get ships back on the water after the COVID crisis.
Hinchliffe said that "with more ports and anchorages, great weather, and unbeatable, world-class onshore visitor experiences, Queensland is Australia’s cruise ship capital."
According to Port of Townsville Chief Executive Officer Ranee Crosby, the Viking Orion ship would kick off a strong recovery for the cruise industry of Townsville.
He said Townsville cruise port would welcome 12 ships to the mainland and Magnetic Island this season. That was a tremendous bounce-back from a 2-year hiatus, and already they were on track to see a record number of vessels visit the Port of Townsville in the 2023-2024 cruise season.