Cruising season Australia 2022/23: Cruise boom to restart as 46 ships set to sail this summer

The economic ripple effect is already being felt across the travel industry.

Lyndsay Sharp, who owns Jack Rabbit Vineyard with husband David in Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, among other hospitality businesses, says cruise visitation in the region was really starting to build before the ban. Then the pandemic brought about the loss of 90 per cent of revenue almost overnight.

"We had to stand down more than 200 wonderful people in one day, which was devastating," said Sharp. "We're now all back, doing what we love".

Sharp says the upcoming cruise season is helping to fuel optimism in the region as local businesses lean into recovery mode.

"Cruise visitors definitely amplified the sense of regional pride that Geelong and The Bellarine were increasingly on the radar as a vibrant destination of choice," she said. "We are gearing up for a much-anticipated bumper summer, the cruise ships will be the icing on the cake – an entire new league of explorers to our region, seriously exciting."

The Geelong-Bellarine region alone is set to receive an estimated $1.65 million boost on the back of six anchorages between January and mid-February, including two ships, Viking Cruises' Neptune and Mars, making their Australian debuts. Additionally, the Spirit of Tasmania ferry will relocate its home port to a newly-built Geelong terminal from October 23 this year.

Brett Ince, executive director tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, says the Spirit of Tasmania in particular is generating "real buzz" in the industry as they near the summer season.

"Significant investment in our north-facing bay and region has seen Geelong really come into its own as a strong port city and destination of choice," said Ince. " We're looking forward to seeing ships in the bay once again and welcoming thousands of passengers ashore to enjoy the exceptional experiences our region offers."

Steven Biviano's wholesale business Select Fresh Providores, a major cruise ship supplier, said they were gearing up for a record season of ships in 2020/2021 when the pandemic hit.

"When the initial lockdown hit, cruises went down to zero. We lost a lot," said Biviano. "Our cruise team pre-COVID was about 35 staff, and that virtually went down to two people including myself."

Since the start of the cruise ban, Biviano estimates losses of between $5-10 million in cruise turnover over the three years.

"We also invested a lot of money into infrastructure that wasn't used. Warehouses that sat dormant until the resumption of cruising," he said, citing huge job losses for his farming suppliers in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

That's about to change.

"The highlight is everyone is excited, we've recruited a whole new team for cruise," Biviano said.

Season's early start

As one of the last nations to restart cruising, Australia has faced some unique logistical challenges. Larger ship sailings require a long period of preparation (around 12 weeks), and vessels stationed in parts of Asia and Europe require further preparation for trans-Tasman travel.

Despite Australia's ban lifting on April 18, cruises have been trickling back slowly. P&O Cruises spearheaded the industry restart on the east coast, with the Pacific Explorer's Sydney to Brisbane sailing on May 31.

However, strong domestic demand has meant ships are now focusing their itineraries closer to home, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director Australasia Joel Katz.

"The recent focus on domestic travel has meant Australians are now considering more close-to-home options like Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania," said Katz.

"These states now feature regularly in cruise itineraries, which means the economic benefits of cruise tourism can be dispersed to other communities around our coasts."

For Eden, a township in NSW's South Coast region, this industry shift has resulted in a record 37 cruise ships for the season – the biggest the town has experienced to date.

Debbie Meers, Cruise Eden Coordinator, added: "This is the first season that we've had ships visit us in winter so it's been a bit chilly on the wharf but that hasn't dampered the spirit of our community and our volunteers in being super excited that they've returned."

Tourism operators in Western Australia are readying themselves for the return of large ships, but the state has already had a busy Kimberley cruise season.

"Throughout the winter, the Kimberley has re-emerged as Australia's top expedition cruise destination, and over coming months we'll see more small-ship options in areas like Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tropical North Queensland, and among nearby neighbours like Indonesia and Papua New Guinea," Katz said.

Move over Sydney

The NSW capital has historically served as Australia's international cruise gateway, but Queensland and Victoria are steadily gaining ground on their neighbour with a number of significant developments.

Sydney was sure to have felt the sting when Sir Richard Branson's high-profile new cruise line Virgin Voyages announced it would base its 2770-passenger Resilient Lady in Melbourne from late 2023.

Elsewhere in Victoria, the Spirit of Tasmania is moving to the new state-of-the-art facility in Geelong, Spirit of Tasmania Quay, an upgrade set to increase tourism expenditure by $57.3 million in Geelong, and $174.1 million in Victoria by 2029-2030.

Further north, a new terminal is being dubbed a game-changer for the Sunshine State.

"The big new first in Australian cruising this year has been the opening of the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal," said Katz.

The $180 million terminal had been sitting idle since 2020 – dubbed a 'ghost' ship terminal – until it welcomed its first ship in June.

"Having a new, modern facility means Brisbane is now better equipped to act as an important cruising gateway in the north-east, and this will mean more choice for Australian cruise passengers as they consider itinerary options in the South Pacific and northern Queensland," said Katz.

Floating hotel firsts

As well as welcoming some of the world's biggest ships this summer season, a number of vessels will make their Australian debut between now and April 2023.

Among the highly-anticipated arrivals are Princess Cruises' Grand Princess and Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Eclipse, both debuting in October, and Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Luminosa, to be based in Brisbane from November.

Adding to the line-up, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Spirit will finally arrive Down Under in December following a $150 million renovation, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Explorer will kick off her first Asia-Pacific season, arriving in Australia in late December.