Darwin hosts three cruise ships
- 25 November 2022
The Queen Elizabeth arrived at Fort Hill Wharf at 7am last Friday 28 November with 1508 passengers and 788 crew on board, marking it the third large cruise liner to arrive in Darwin since the resumption of international cruise.
The Queen Elizabeth, on its maiden voyage to Darwin, was one of three Cunard brand cruise ships visiting Darwin - with the Queen Mary 2 scheduled to visit Darwin on 2 March 2023 and the Queen Victoria due in port on 9 March 2023.
In a sign that cruise tourism is on the upward swing, Darwin Port welcomed three ships last week including 2,539 passengers and crew on board the Noordam that visited on Thursday, 24 November, 2,296 passengers and crew on board the Queen Elizabeth on Friday, 25 November and a further 930 crew and passengers on the Viking Orion, that came in to Darwin Port on Saturday 26 November at 12.30pm.
Typically large cruise liners are in port for one day, allowing passengers to disembark onto a tour and visit multiple hospitality and retail venues, providing a boost to tourism operators and retailers.
In total there will be 14 cruise liners with an average capacity of over 1500 people each visiting the Northern Territory this cruise season, equating to approximately 33,330 passengers.
There will also be a number of smaller ships arriving at Fort Hill Wharf this season. The total passenger capacity of all cruise ships from October 2022 through to the end of April 2023 is 44,250 people.
The larger cruise liners generally travel to the Northern Territory between September and April, providing an economic benefit during our traditional low season.
The Northern Territory Cruise Tourism Strategy 2022-2025 identifies the roadmap to increase the benefits Territorians see from both cruise liners and expedition ships over the next 3 years.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise ships generated around $60 million of annual expenditure within the NT.
To view the upcoming cruise ship arrivals to Darwin Port visit darwinport.com.au or to learn more about the cruise market and view the NT Cruise Tourism Strategy go to www.tourismnt.com.au/cruise-tourism-strategy