Superliner visit heralds boom in cruise tourism

Wellington will host the super-liner the Star Princess tomorrow and can expect to see many more cruise ships in the future.

An increasing number of Australians tourists are heading to New Zealand, and preferring to travel the old-fashioned way, by boat.

Ann Sherry, chief executive of Australian-based P&O Cruises, was joined by Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key yesterday in Auckland to mark the start of the New Zealand cruise season.

Carnival Australia's ships, owned by P&O Cruises, will make 158 port visits (including 20 port visits to Wellington) from October to March.

That total is up 50 per cent from last season. Cruise ship passengers are expected to spend about $80 million on-shore.

Ms Sherry attributes much of the increase in demand to Tourism New Zealand's advertising, in which the country was presented as "a much more interesting, edgy place to come rather than a place to look at the scenery".

The age of people taking cruises had changed dramatically, she said. They were traditionally the domain of older people but now more younger families with children were choosing to take cruise ship tours.

Given New Zealand was driving so much growth in the company, P&O Cruises said yesterday it would launch its next superliner, the Pacific Pearl, in Auckland on December 19 next year.

Ms Sherry said New Zealand port owners, government and other industry stakeholders needed to play a part if the country's full potential as a cruise destination was to be maximised.

Mr Key said tourism was an incredibly important sector in the country, representing 20 per cent of the economy. The Government was pleased to be able to buy Queen's Wharf in Auckland because of the rapid growth in cruising.

"Turning it in to a cruise ship terminal, making sure those facilities are world-class, giving people that experience from the moment they step-off the boat is important," Mr Key said.

Tourism was going to be even more significant, he said. "We live in a very competitive world where lots of countries are stepping up their advertising."

- © Fairfax NZ News