Australia’s cruise season has begun, with 25 cruise lines set to visit the country during the summer’s peak.
The season will run from October to April, and 62 cruise ships are expected to operate in Australia’s ports.
Regent’s luxury Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Explorer vessels will stop in Australia throughout the summer, before heading to other destinations like Singapore, Bali, and Auckland.
Other high-end cruise lines to reach Australia in the coming months include Cunard and Silversea.
Celebrity Edge, a massive 2900-capacity ship operated by Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Cruises subsidiary, will also return to Australia for its second season in the South Pacific.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Australian Cruise Association (ACA) released their joint report on Australian cruise tourism’s economic value last Friday.
“Cruise tourism is thriving and passengers have been spending more when they step on shore, creating a record benefit for communities around the Australian coast,” said CLIA’s Australasia Managing Director Joel Katz.
“Cruise ships made 1,650 visits to communities around the Australian coast in [the 2023-2024 financial year], an increase of 5.1% on the year before,” according to ACA CEO Jill Abel.
The total economic output of Australia’s cruise industry was AU$8.4 billion across the country over the last financial year, up 49.7% over 2022-2023.