Record cruise season worth $54 Million

The ship's departure signaled the end of the Territory’s biggest cruise season ever.

Over 43,000 passengers have come in to Darwin on 30 ships since 28 October 2015 with more than 56,000 passengers travelling to Darwin aboard cruise ships this financial year to date, a significant increase on previous years.

The Northern Territory's cruise industry provides an important boost for tourism in the Top End, injecting $54 million into the local economy last financial year.

Darwin is growing in popularity as a must-visit cruise destination and is usually the first Australian port of call for cruise liners giving passengers their first taste of Australia. Three ships made their maiden visits to Darwin during the 2015-16 cruise season including the Azamara Quest, Le Soleal and Golden Princess.

According to figures released by the Australian Cruise Association, the average daily spend per passenger in Darwin was up to $288. As well as spending more, the number of passenger days in port also increased to an estimated 49,411.

The Northern Territory Government is investing in improving the cruise ship passengers experience even further through the construction of a new shaded walkway that will allow passengers to stroll from the terminal to the Waterfront Precinct in comfort.
 

Boosting the cruise sector is part of Tourism NT's Vision to build a $2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020 and Tourism NT is working to implement the Northern Territory Cruise Sector Activation Plan 2015-2020, to maximise the benefits of cruise shipping to the Territory.

Want to get involved and benefit from the Top End's cruise season? Find out more here.