Ports across Tasmania are getting ready to welcome ~150 cruise ship calls during the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
Plans for the cruise season started to unfold after the state premier’s announcement back in June that Tasmania would reopen to cruise ships.
TasPorts released a cruise schedule for its ports, displaying a total of 78 visits for Hobart, 33 for Burnie, and 23 for Port Arthur. A further 6 calls are scheduled for Bell Bay, another 6 for Coles Bay, and 2 for Devonport.
TasPorts said that the Hobart visit number included turnaround calls by Coral Discoverer, which will visit Hobart, her homeport for the Tasmanian cruise season.
TasPorts chief executive officer Anthony Donald said the company was a strong supporter of cruise ship calls to Tasmania.
“TasPorts’ primary role is to facilitate trade for the benefit of the state and as the port operator, we’re looking forward to welcoming cruise vessels back to Tasmania waters following government approval.”
According to Mr. Donald, the upcoming visits would benefit the Tasmanian visitor economy, particularly outside of the major cities of the state. Independent economic research confirmed that the economic contribution of a single medium-sized cruise ship visit to the state was US$650,000+ per visit.
Image: Port of Hobart (Tasmania Australia)
The arrival of the Princess Cruises' ship Coral Princess will mark the first call of the season. The vessel is scheduled to visit Burnie on November 5.