SunLive – Significant decline in cruise ship visits predicted

A “significant drop” in cruise ship visits to Tauranga is forecast next season.

New Zealand Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd recently attended the Seatrade cruise industry conference in Miami and says signs point to fewer port visits next season.

Reasons for the decline in bookings include higher operating costs in New Zealand, higher port charges and regulatory fees from central government, issues surrounding hull cleaning regulations, global competition and concerns about access through the Red Sea, says Jacqui.

“It is a major concern for the nation. Preliminary figures we are looking at are a reduction of 150 to 200 port visits for the country, which is approximately 54,000 passengers. The risk for some cruise lines is simply too high.”

Jacqui also cites the incident in November when border control denied the Pacific Adventure, en route to the Bay of Plenty, entry into the country because bad weather prevented the ship’s hull from being cleaned.

Despite this, she says the top executives she met at the cruise conference raved about their time in Tauranga, Rotorua and the rest of the Bay of Plenty.

“They have a great relationship with the port, they enjoy the great welcome on arrival, the tourism operators in the area really look after the people. Passengers rate their experience highly.”

Jacqui says bookings for next season have not yet been completed. The current season is the “biggest season New Zealand has ever had”, and “maybe we will get back to balance”.

Oscar Nathan, general manager of Tourism Bay of Plenty and board member of the NZ Cruise Association, says the region has had two “busy and lucrative” cruise seasons since the country’s international border reopened.

There are currently 88 cruise ship visits booked into the Port of Tauranga for the 2024-2025 season, Oscar says.

This is around 23 percent lower than the 115 ships booked to visit this season, although seven did not arrive.

Oscar expects the number of bookings to increase towards the start of next season.

“The New Zealand Cruise Association has noted that there has been a significant decline in the number of port visits estimated for the country’s 2024-2025 season, which in turn has impacted the number of cruise ships we expect to see in Tauranga to welcome. Port.

On Wednesday, the Majestic Princess spent the day in Tauranga. It was the last cruise ship this season. Photo / Alex Cairns.

“Tauranga remains a popular destination for passengers and most are generally very satisfied with their onshore experiences while here. That is probably why our region’s share of cruise ship bookings, compared to other New Zealand ports, remains stable.”

He says it was difficult to predict the financial impact of fewer visits because the most recent data they have available from Stats NZ is from the 2019-2020 season.

That season, cut short by Covid-19, contributed $74 million to the region’s economy from electronic ticket spending.

Tourism Bay of Plenty will continue to work closely with the Port of Tauranga, cruise lines, local tourism businesses and the New Zealand Cruise Association to maximize the value and opportunities that international visitors bring to the region, Oscar says.

Oscar Nathan, Managing Director of Tourism Bay of Plenty and Board Member of the NZ Cruise Association.

“Tourism is a very agile sector – we are used to dealing with micro and macro influences that can influence visitor trends.”

Cruise ships are not the only source of international tourists to the region, says Oscar, and the organization is continually working to promote the Bay of Plenty in a range of international visitor markets.

Waimarino owner and director Blair Anderson says 20 per cent fewer cruise ships means there will be 20 per cent fewer cruise ships, which will hit staff and turnover. But if he knows in advance, he can plan for it.

Blair says Waimarino deals with a lot of cruise ship visitors, especially through their firefly kayak excursions.

It has been difficult to keep the business going over the past four years, but the “wonderful” and “wonderful” staff have helped them through it, he says.

Waimarino Adventure Park owner Blair Anderson. Photo / supplied.

Two other entrepreneurs the Bay of Plenty Times spoke to are generally not concerned about the financial impact of fewer ship visits.

Fancy That gift shop owner Bill Campbell says it wouldn’t be the end of the world and while it would impact their finances it wouldn’t hurt them.

Gordy Lockhart, owner of Mount Water Bikes, says cruise ships don’t generate significant revenue for the company because passengers tend to come from an older demographic.

“Additionally, there is the age-old problem of cruise ship passengers being transported immediately from Tauranga to Rotorua or Hobbiton.”

RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / Andrew Warner.

RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson says the cruise ship industry has delivered significant value to Rotorua’s visitor economy and had a positive impact on our operators overall.

“We expect the economic benefits to continue and we are working closely with Tourism Bay of Plenty to better understand the full value that cruise ship visitors bring to the Bay of Plenty region.”

-Bay of Plenty times.