More than 180 stakeholders joined the Destination NSW Product Development team and cruise industry experts during a workshop series to learn about the shore excursion opportunity at or around NSW cruise ports.

The workshops, which focused on maximising bookable experiences, included learning about markets and demographics, creating cruise shore excursions, and accessing Destination NSW cruise resources and support.

“Destination NSW is committed to investing in industry resources that help NSW visitor economy businesses create world-class shore experiences for cruise passengers,” says Destination NSW acting CEO Ian Maltman.

“Cruising injected more than $2.7 billion into NSW in the 2022-2023 financial year and plays a vital role in driving visitor economy growth.”

According to data from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), each domestic cruise passenger spends, on average, $197 per day while in port.

Eden’s summer cruise season for 2023/2024 was the busiest on record, with 41 ship visits bringing more than 70,000 passengers and 30,000 crew into the state’s largest regional cruise port.

These arrivals injected an estimated $19 million into the Eden region’s visitor economy, based on CLIA data.

Newcastle saw 16 cruise ship arrivals, more than 20,000 passengers, and 10,000 crew during the season, injecting more than $6 million into the region’s visitor economy.

Australian Cruise Association’s membership and events manager Natalie Godward says of the workshops: “It’s these sorts of events that help build capacity and resilience across our industry to ensure destinations are ready to deliver world-class cruise experiences and to maximise the economic benefits for the regions that cruises visit.

“It was a pleasure to be part of these workshops.”