Cruise ships bring millions to Canterbury

18/08/08

News release

August 8, 2008

Cruise ships bring millions to Canterbury

New Zealand's growing popularity as a cruise destination will see a potential 59 ships docking in Canterbury this cruise season.

Experts predict passengers aboard those luxury ships will pump $22.7 million into the local economy and sustain the employment equivalent of 335 workers in the Canterbury region for a year.

The estimates, released on 7 August by Cruise New Zealand, follow a comprehensive analysis of the financial benefits the cruise industry brought to the country last season.

That analysis shows the cruise industry generated $412 million in direct spend during the during the 2007/08 season.

Most of that money was spent in Auckland and the Bay of Islands. In Canterbury, where 40 cruise ships visited last season, $15.6 million was added into the economy and the equivalent of 257 people kept in full-time work.

"As the number of cruise ships visiting our region increases and the size of the ships increases we can expect to see the economic impact on our region rising significantly,'' says Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Christine Prince.

She is excited by the growth in the cruise industry and by the steps the region is taking to make it a more attractive port of call for visiting cruise ships.

"The potential for growth is enormous. In the past 10 years the number of ships visiting New Zealand has grown six-fold and while that growth will inevitably plateau already we've got 48 ships pre-booked for the 2010/2011 season.

"The challenge for us now is to ensure our port facilities can cope with the sheer numbers of passengers embarking and disembarking and that we can provide a quality experience for our visitors that leaves them wanting to come back for more,'' Ms Prince says.

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