Australians all aboard cruises as holidays soar
The number of Australians setting sail on cruise ships has soared in the past 12 months but fears remain that the local industry could miss out on the full benefits of the boom.
Travel blogger Honida Beram is among the 1.32 million Australians who went on a cruise ship in 2024, according to new data from the Cruise Lines International Association.
That's a 5.9 per cent jump from 2023 and well above pre-pandemic levels.
It's no surprise to Ms Beram, who witnessed interactions with her Cruising With Honey content triple to 900,000 per month in the three years since Australia's cruise industry rebooted following an extended pause at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Cruising has always been a really accessible and no fuss holiday, it's perfect for multigenerational families, it's affordable," Ms Beram said.
"You get to see so much in one holiday, unpack once, no mess between travelling between ports."
Australians are increasingly choosing shorter trips closer to home, with the average length of a holiday now down to eight days and more than 80 per cent of people staying within Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
However, some 18.5 per cent of Australian cruisers took a long-haul flight to get to their cruise, up by more than three per cent in 2023.
"The interest has not waned, and it really has increased," Ms Beram said.
With almost five per cent of the population setting sail last year, Australia is the fourth largest cruise market behind the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
There was a 9.3 pre cent jump in cruises globally and a 14 per cent influx in international visitors choosing to cruise the region in 2024, equivalent to an extra quarter of a million foreign tourists.
While local cruises are doing well Australia is a tough environment for companies to do business in and there are fears passengers will eventually look elsewhere, according to the association's Australasia managing director Joel Katz.
"Australia has become one of the more complicated and expensive destinations in the world for cruise lines to operate in, which is compounded by regulation and rising fees and charges," Mr Katz said.
He said companies spent more than $350 million on port fees and charges in Australia last financial year, which were then passed on to customers.
"While demand is strong among Australian cruisers, the challenges in this region threaten to make us uncompetitive and impact the number of ships sailing locally," he added.
The industry has sought clarity about the Coastal Trading Act and is pushing for streamlined border processes for cruise ships amid a review due back in the second half of the year, hoping that too could help attract more operators.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Catherine King confirmed the impact on the cruise industry is under consideration
.
Only one company, Carnival, operates year round and Ms Beram understand "astronomically" high port fees in Australia and New Zealand have stopped the expansion of more routes while contributing to other players leaving the market.
"Unless you're paying a lot of money, $20,000-$30,000 per person, you won't be seeing the Kimberley or the top end of Australia," she said.
"We do have Australian cruise lines that go up there, but again, it's very expensive and cost prohibitive to the average cruiser so I would love to see more cruise ships change their itineraries.
"There's only so many times that you can go the South Pacific to the same four or five islands."
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