Port Douglas cruising towards economic windfall
CRUISE SHIPS
THE Port Douglas economy is set for a windfall with cruise ship visits to almost double over the next two years.
The town is already a popular docking port for the likes of P&O and Princess Cruises with 20 visits reported last year. That number could increase to 36 by 2018-2019, according to Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree Executive Officer Tara Bennett.
The Sun Princess, Sea Princess, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewell, Voyager of the Seas and Celebrity Soltice were all regular visitors to Port Douglas last year with a combined capacity of over 11,000 passengers.
“The thousands of passengers and crew of visiting ships contribute significantly to our tourism industry turnover, injecting many millions of dollars into our local economy,” Bennett said.
“We work hard to make sure their day in Port Douglas and the surrounding region is enjoyable and highly memorable."
Bennett said Port Douglas had benefited from a growing interest in the Asia-Pacific region and her team had consistently worked to grow this market. Opportunities were taken by TPDD to meet cruise ship operators at travel and trade expos overseas, along with locally based hosting of cruise companies.
“We have had excellent feedback from cruise companies and individual tourists on the welcome they receive and the extra effort we go to in ensuring this part of their holiday is one of the best,” Bennett said.
“The Reef Marina and new retail outlets, our renowned restaurants and eateries and exciting tours of regional attractions tailored to fit the ship’s schedule all add to a big benefit for our local businesses.”
CRUISE SHIPS WHO LOVE PORT DOUGLAS:
Sun Princess: 2000 (passenger capacity)
Sea Princess: 1950
Pacific Dawn: 2020
Pacific Jewel: 1950
Voyager of the Seas: 3138
Celebrity Solstice: 2852
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
* Readers are encouraged to use their full details below to ensure comment legitimacy. Comments are the opinions of readers and do not represent the views of Newsport or its staff. Comments containing unlawful, obscene, defamatory or abusive material will not be published.
