ALTHOUGH yesterday’s New South Wales Visitor Economy Strategy review made no mention of cruise, senior leaders in the sector are hopeful the state has not lost sight of the impact the industry makes.
Millions of extra airline seats, tens of thousands of hotel rooms, and a focus on “experience-led” tourism were called out by Govt of NSW, as it aims to “transform” the state’s visitor economy into a “$91 billion powerhouse”.
Although the industry was not called out in the Visitor Economy Strategy, senior leaders around the sector remain optimistic, with the Australian Cruise Association (ACA) anticipating the release of a finalised, fuller master plan.
This would see the inclusion of the cruise industry, which as per the state government’s statistics, contributes $2.75 billion to the local economy.
“ACA has been involved in the consulting process which will inform the final strategy,” Chief Executive Officer Jill Abel said.
“We look forward to seeing the NSW Visitor Strategy when it is completed…we applaud the commitment by Destination NSW to cruise tourism, and look forward to continuing our work with them to nurture the cruise sector in the state.”
NSW Tourism Association Chief Executive Officer Natalie Godward, who recently concluded a five-year tenure with the ACA herself, admitted her surprise the cruise sector received no mention yesterday.
Godward, who was broadly supportive of the Strategy, was surprised at cruise’s omission.
“I was surprised to see it omitted, because they took such effort and time to look at all facets of the industry and speak to stakeholders and get involved,” she told CW.
“Cruise disperses high volumes of visitors to areas across NSW they may not have otherwise gone to.
“We know in regional ports, return visitation is really high after they’ve been there for the first time.”
NSW is coming under increasing pressure from other states around Australia to reinforce its cruise industry, with South Australia recently announcing the formation of a ‘cruise attraction working group’ (CW 06 Sep).
Western Australia also has its own cruise strategy, as the state also endeavours to expand border services at the Port of Broome (CW 08 Mar).
NSW also recently delayed its shore power project at White Bay by two years (CW 30 Sep). MS