Record Breaking Cruise Ship Season for Wellington

When the Radiance of the Seas berths on Tuesday 2nd October she will be the first of 110 cruise ship visits CentrePort will be receiving.CentrePort General Manager Break Bulk, Blair Spencer says that is a record total of visits, up from the 82 last season.

“We’re delighted Wellington is such a popular port of call, and we’ve put the resources and systems in place to manage that demand.

“CentrePort has worked with transport, tourism and retail operators to ensure a great visit experience for the more than 320,000 passengers and crew arriving over the next seven months,” Spencer said.

The local economy is set to benefit by $56 million and WREDA Regional Development, Destination and Attraction General Manager David Perks says it will ensure a bumper summer.

“The total number of passengers and crew arriving has increased threefold in the last ten years which isn’t surprising given a beautiful city like Wellington is a highly desirable place to visit. We will have 50,000 more passengers arriving than last year.

“That popularity was confirmed by Wellington being named for the first time in the top five Australasian cruise destinations by review site Cruise Critic.

“To help manage the visitor numbers we’ve increased the number of shuttle stops in the CBD. While at times it will be busy we know Wellingtonians will give visitors a warm welcome,” said Perks.

New Zealand Cruise Association CEO Kevin O’Sullivan says the coming season reflects an astonishing growth in the local cruise ship sector.

“The growth is remarkable but very welcome. New Zealand continues to increase in popularity as a destination. It is seen as a safe and attractive place to visit.

“Cruise companies are also building more and larger ships and we will continue to see growth in the coming years,” said O’Sullivan.

Media release by CentrePort Wellington.