Cruise ship guests to flock to Douglas Shire next week
TOURISM
THE Douglas Shire will be a major benefactor when P&O’s spectacular ship, the Pacific Eden, cruises into the Port of Cairns next week for homeporting.
It is predicted their presence will deliver an economic injection of $6 million in just three months to the Far Northern economy.
“The arrival of Pacific Eden is another welcome boost to the Douglas tourism industry,” said Tara Bennett, Executive Officer, Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree.
“The vessel, which caters for 1250 guests, will be departing Cairns for cruises to the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
“The opportunity for the Douglas region is for passengers to add on some pre- or post-cruise touring to our region. This would typically be for two to three days before or after their cruise,” she said.
The Pacific Eden will be homeported at the Port of Cairns from September through to November, offering nine cruises from the Tropical North and projected to carry more than 13,000 guests.
The Palaszczuk Government, meanwhile, sees a bright future for the Port of Cairns and Queensland as a cruising destination.
It’s for this reason they are targeting mega cruise ships up to 300 metres in length through the Cairns Shipping Development Project.
“We’ve written to the Turnbull Government seeking a review of the charter restrictions the Commonwealth places on superyachts entering Australia,” said Treasurer Curtis Pitt.
Ms Bennett said she commended the Queensland government for their plans to pursue the super yacht market and make it more attractive for the luxury vessels to visit Queensland.
“The Reef Marina in Port Douglas completed an expansion last year that has already seen a dramatic increase in the number of super yachts.
“If the government can ease any visiting restrictions in place this will have a direct flow on for Port Douglas and the number of highly lucrative vessels looking to visit,” she said.
Evidence shows that just one foreign superyacht can spend $2.5 million in a 12-month period, which would have considerable flow-on benefits for local tourism, hospitality and manufacturing sectors for areas right along the Queensland coast.